Dreaming of You
by DarkChao1663
Summary: Yugi hasn't been himself lately. Yami is concern. He's even more concern when a villain from his past comes back to get revenge. Can Yami and friends be able to save Yugi or will Yugi even want to be saved? Complete!
1. I Only See You While Sleeping

Chao- So Chao has decided to take up writing fan fics again! Chao has some new ideas!

YChao- This idea has been in our heads for quite some time!

Chao- Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: DarkChao1663 does not own **_**Yu-Gi-Oh!**_

**Summary: Yugi hasn't been himself lately. Yami is concern. He's even more concern when a villain from his past comes back to get revenge. Can Yami and friends be able to save Yugi or will Yugi even want to be saved? **

**Warnings: Minor swearing**

**Parings: None**

"Talking."

"_Thinking."_

/Yami and Yugi's mind link./

**Chapter 1: I Only See You While Sleeping **

The morning started out as a cool, autumn day. Most of the trees outside had already lost their green leaves, and some have even fallen off to the ground. Grey clouds floated by while the wind gently blew across the city. It was a very quiet morning, so this urged students to not want to get out of their warm, cozy beds.

"Yugi, you'd better get out of bed before you're late to school!" called out Yugi's grandpa from the first story of their home.

The teen was wide awake when he heard the voice, but it sounded more like just one big hum. The young boy's mind was occupied by something else; a deep impression that had happens once long ago but didn't feel at all real. The feeling appeared more like a dream a person longed to go back to.

/Yugi, you'd better do what your grandpa says./ advised the spirit of the Puzzle.

/I know./ Yugi answered plainly as he got up.

He went on his way from his bedroom, down a hall, and into the bathroom. He came out wearing his school uniform. Entering back to his room, he grabbed his bag off his chair and his prize possession from his desk. He slowly put on a golden upside down pyramid around his neck.

Yugi then walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. His grandpa was sitting in a chair reading the newspaper while having a cup of black coffee. Solomon looked from his daily rag and noticed his grandson seemed out of it.

"Yugi, are you feeling ok?" he asked with concern.

"Hmm?" Yugi looked up from putting on his shoes. "Oh…Yeah, I'm fine."

The boy headed for the door, but he still seemed to be in some sort of daze.

"Aren't you going to eat breakfast?" the elderly man questioned.

"I'm not hungry." his grandson replied as he went outside.

/Yugi, are you feeling all right?/ asked the spirit of the Puzzle as his partner walked down the cement path paved with leaves of various dull colors. Yugi sighed with discontent. Yami waited a bit to hear his answer.

/Yeah. I just don't think I had a good enough sleep./

/Really? You seemed to be fine last night_._/

Yugi didn't have much to answer to that. Yami didn't want to push his light so he decided to stay hidden within the Puzzle. The rest of the way to school was in silence.

xxx

The day went on as a long, quiet one at Domino High School. Most of the time, days like those seem to drag on forever and are completely dull. And on days like these, concentration skills are put to the test. As usual, Joey's and Tristan's names have been called on numerous occasions by teachers who were annoyed at them nodding off during class. Normally good boys and girls who are prepared for anything rarely had their names called for their misbehavior.

Yugi was looking out the window while watching leaves blow where ever the wind took them. Clouds floated by and many of them had animal shapes that would make any little child laugh in delight.

"Mr. Muto, will please pay attention!" ordered the strict English teacher as she smacked Yugi's desk with a long, brown ruler. The teen jumped a little at the sound of the crack. He then remembered where he was. All his classmates stared at him as he grew a bit red.

"Yes, ma'am," Yugi replied softly as he looked back into his uninteresting textbook filled with tedious exercises.

xxx

"Man, Yug, if you're gonna space out then at least know which class you can do it in!" Joey informed with his usual grin after school.

"And this is coming from the guy who sleeps in almost every class," cracked Tristan.

"Keep quiet man!" yelled an angry blonde.

"Or what!" question the brunette.

"Come on guys, let's do something fun before you knuckle heads tear each other apart." Tea heavily insisted. As the competition between the tough males continued, Yugi slowly made his way to the door.

"Hey Yug, don't you want to get some food or go to the arcade and play some games?" Joey asked when he noticed his group suddenly missed one member. The small teen turned his head towards his friends and replied quietly, "Actually, I need to get home to help Grandpa with the game shop."

"Ok." Joey replied.

"See you tomorrow," said Tea.

"Yeah." Yugi nodded as he walked away.

The boy left the school trapped within his own thoughts. He walked down from school and into a park nearby. The spirit of the Puzzle knew his partner didn't normally take this path, especially not alone.

/Yugi, I thought you said you needed to assist your grandpa./ Yami asked confused. Yugi sighed as he sat underneath a tree that hadn't lost any leaves yet. He then responded, /Yami, I… I know I shouldn't lie to my friends, but I needed some time away from everything./

/Is there something wrong, Yugi?/ the spirit questioned with care. There was a moment of silence before Yugi replied, /Well, I've had a lot of things on my mind and…/

The teen stopped again. He was trying to figure out a way for him to say what was causing him to act in the manner he had. Yami could tell his light was bearing a tough time, and being a good friend, he wanted to be there. He reminded his lighter half gently, /Yugi, you know you can tell me anything, right?/

Yugi looked up to see his friend in his transparent state. Yami had a gentle smile on that always made Yugi feel better and more relaxed. The teen swallowed hard and said, "I… I had this dream last night and-"

The young boy was interrupted by a strong, evil laughter. Yugi immediately stood up and looked around to see where the laughter was coming from.

"Who's there!" the young boy asked out loud.

"I've finally found you, Pharaoh!" called out an arrogant voice. Within those lines, a chill struck Yugi's spine.

"_What does this person want with the Pharaoh?_" Yugi asked himself.

"Yugi! Let me take over!" shouted out Yami with concern. Yugi nodded and allowed his friend to take control of his body. The spirit came out and ordered, "Show yourself!"

"As you wish!" With that, a huge white smoke came out of nowhere and as it cleared, there stood Yami and Yugi's adversary.

"Who are you!" Yami demanded.

"My name is Akana," the man stated, "I'm here to get my revenge on you!"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm here to make you pay for all the pain you'd put me through! 5,000 years ago you had to take the souls of your people in order to save your own! You took away my son and wife!"

"What? I would never do such a thing! How could you have live throughout the ages and know I was the ruler at the time?"

"Shut your mouth! I've been hidden within this coin, but my hatred is just as fresh." The man held up a small, faded, gold coin, "Now, before I can actually have to the honor of destroying you, I must first make you suffer, like I have."

The man then raised his fist into the air and began to chant some ancient language. Yami started to feel a strange sensation over his body. Gazing down towards himself, he noticed his form was glowing.

"What's going on?" He then quickly felt a sharp pain strike through his entire system. He shrieked out in agony and his view went entirely black. After a split second of being unconscious, Yami found himself on the ground trying to regain his vision.

/Yugi, are you all right?/ he asked his friend. There was no response.

/Yugi!/ Yami yelled louder while trying to use his mind link. Suddenly, he realized he could no longer feel his light. Yami struggled to stand up, and as he tried he heard the insane laughter of the villain once more.

"Yami!" cried out an innocent voice. Akana was holding Yugi by his collar and began to gain a stronger grip. The small boy felt the brace becoming tighter. Getting air into his system became difficult.

"Ya… mi…" he choked with fear.

"Yugi!" Yami yelled as he began to sprint towards Akana. The man tighten his control on Yugi, causing the boy to yell in agony. Yami at once stopped his tracks.

"I can do much more than just this, Pharaoh," smug Akana.

"What do you want," demanded Yami as he did want any more harm to come to his partner.

Anger started to build within the former pharaoh as he looked straight into his enemy's eyes. His entire shoulders were raised with stiffness. He then looked over towards his partner and lowered his shoulders. The boy was trembling, and a look of full terror was across his face.

Akana yell out, "What I said before, my revenge!"

He then began to chant a magical spell once again. A great, big gust of wind caused Yami to fall back away from his enemy. The spirit placed his hand in front of his face to block the wind. Through his fingers, he looked up and noticed Akana's fist was radiating an eerie yellow.

The man took his fist and jammed it right into Yugi's chest. Despite the terrible throbbing, the young boy couldn't even cry out in pain as the fist slowly and painfully entered the body. As his eyes widen, Yugi felt as though he was stabbed with a thousand knives into the center of his chest. As the fist began to go deeper and deeper, more pain rushed into the young boy, but strangely enough different memories began to enter his mind.

A picture of his friends went by.

Then his grandpa.

Some images of his greatest rivals flew in and out.

Finally one of his mom and dad came into view.

Yami watched in horror as his partner went through all this. Snatching a card lying on the ground, he summoned a monster; the Celtic Guardian. Yami ordered the elf knight to attack Akana. The loyal creature went charging with his sword only to find he could not enter.

"_There must be some sort of magical barrier!_" Yami concluded as his eyes widen.

Akana then slowly removed his fist from Yugi's chest. The teen began to gasp in pain as the sensation barged through all of his body, but mostly in his heart. His entire form stiffen with agony, as though he had just fallen from a great height.

"Now I have what I needed." Akana smirked with pleasure. Placing his index finger on Yugi's forehead, he began to chant again.

Yugi felt a sudden shock explode throughout his body, but he then began to relax. He tried to look into Akana's face as he struggled to keep his eyes open, but Yugi could not keep it up. He felt his eyelids grow heavier and heavier with passing of each second. At an instant, everything around him darkened, and all the sounds around him turned into a hum. Akana was then holding an almost limp body.

"Here's your precious treasure back!" Akana yelled as he threw the small body halfway between him and Yami. The spirit ran towards his partner and managed to grab him in time, but both bodies dropped to the ground.

Akana disappeared vowing, "I'll be back soon!"

Yami knelt by Yugi and held him. He couldn't feel his lighter half since somehow they were separated. The spirit didn't know exactly what to do, but he had to make sure that his partner was well. Yami placed Yugi gently on the ground as he positioned one ear on the teen's chest. A heartbeat pounded at a normal rate. He then looked at Yugi's chest to see if it was rising and falling, which it was. The young boy didn't look like he was in any pain.

"Ok, so he can breathe and he still has a heartbeat." Yami observed with relief. He then tighten his fists as he questioned, "But what happen? What did Akana do and what does he want?"

xxx

Yugi wandered around to what seem to be the park he was in earlier. The only difference was that all the trees had green leaves on them and the sky out was clear and blue.

"Where am I?"

**To be continued…**

Chao- So how was that?

YChao- It's been awhile since we've got to write pain!

Chao- Indeed!

Yugi- Great, more fun for me.

Yami- NO! I must know what happen to my partner!

Yugi- I'm right here!

YChao- For now.

Chao- Please review!


	2. Rapid Eye Movement

Chao- Wow, it's been awhile since Chao wrote a story!

YChao- Psh, you should've updated this story a long time ago!

Chao- Well, it's hard to find time between sports, school, and friends!

YChao- Who needs school?

Chao- Exactly.

"Talking."

"_Thinking_."

/Yami and Yugi's mind link./

**Chapter 2: Rapid Eye Movement**

"Yugi?" the spirit called as he gently shook the young boy.

"Yugi!" Yami said louder, shaking his partner a bit rough. The small boy's eyes still remained closed. Yami then realized nothing he attempted worked. In defeat, he pulled his partner closer to him as the spirit slowly whispered Yugi's name once more. His body began to tremble with tears threatening to fall.

"Yugi?" called out a sweet, feminine voice. Yami turned around and saw Tea was standing behind him in her clothes she wore when they all went to Duelist Kingdom.

"Y-Yami?" she gasped in shock after seeing her childhood friend on the floor and Yami kneeling down beside him.

"Tea?" Yami said with a bit of confusion in his voice.

"Yami, what happen?" the female teen asked as she knelt on one knee on the opposite side of her fallen companion. Yami had Tea lift Yugi up and placed him on his back so he could carry his light.

"I'll explain on the way back to the game shop," he informed, "But Tea, what are you doing here?"

"I always go this way after my dance practice," she explained with her eyes glued to her friends.

As they walked, Yami explained everything.

"So, there's this nutcase who wants revenge because he believes you did something to his family and he's been holding this 5,000 year old grudge against you?" Tea asked, wanting to be clarified.

"Yes," the spirit answered plainly.

"Well that's just great," she sighed annoyed, "First we had to deal with Darts and now this?"

Yami gasped a little as stopped in his tracks. He titled his head down with disgrace in his heart. Tea looked behind her and saw an empty yet crestfallen look on the pharaoh's face.

"I haven't been separated from Yugi since then," the former pharaoh said almost in a whisper.

xxx

The two arrived at the game shop with no trouble. Yugi's grandpa was as shocked as Tea was to see the spirit and the small teen in two separate bodies. The elderly man led Yami and Tea up to Yugi's room.

The formal ruler sat on his light's bed while Solomon and Tea gently pulled off the small boy and set him on his mattress. Slowly the two placed Yugi into a lying down position. If it wasn't for the fact something was wrong with Yugi, he would have appeared as if he was only sleeping. The three went downstairs and Yami re-explained everything.

"Should we call a doctor?" asked the elderly man.

"No, there is nothing a doctor could do. This is a magical problem, not a physical one." Yami replied still shocked but mostly depressed about what had happen not too long ago.

"Isn't there something we could do?" Tea questioned with concern. She did not like the idea of seeing either of her friend in their condition. Yami laced his fingers as he brought them closer to his face, "I don't know what the man did to Yugi, and I don't remember my past."

All three then heard the game shop door open and a familiar voice ask, "Anyone here?" They then heard a crash and the person started to swear like there was no tomorrow. All three of them went to go see who it was. It was Joey, who tripped over a box of Duel Monster cards.

"Joey, what are you doing here?" Tea asked with great curiosity.

"I thought something was wrong with Yugi so I stopped by to see if I could help," he answered as he had help to stand up. The blonde was surprise to see Yami was the one helping him. He was even more befuddled everyone held a distressful look on their face, and with a gloomy atmosphere all around. Joey blinked as he asked, "Am I missing something?"

After explaining everything Joey announced, "I got a great idea!" Everyone looked up to hear what the joker wanted to say.

"Let's got see Ishizu! Maybe she knows a thing or two about this!" Joey suggested with enthusiasm. Yami stood up and nodded at the idea, "Maybe I can arrive before the museum closes."

"I'll go with you man!" Joey volunteered proudly. Tea looked up towards the stairs which lead to Yugi's room.

"Are you worry about Yug?" Joey asked.

"Why don't you stay here? Joey and I will go." Yami suggested.

Tea nodded and the two boys went off to the museum.

xxx

Yugi wandered around and was still unsure of where he was. All around looked just like the park he was in, except the trees were green and still had their leaves. The sky was clear with only a few clouds drifting by. There were flowers everywhere in various colors.

"Where am I?" Yugi asked himself with no one in sight, "One minute I was fighting… someone…. now I'm here….. What just happen?"

As he tried to remember the events that took place, his head and chest started to hurt. The teen fell down on one knee as he clutched his heart with his right hand and placed his left hand on his head. Trying to recall his memories was causing too much pain. Yugi took in a few deep breaths to calm his body down.

After several trials, he gained his energy again and started to walk to figure out where he was. He saw a green hill with someone standing at the peak. The teen ran to see if the person could help him. As he raced closer, the one on the hill began to look familiar. It was Yami! Yugi was happy to see a friendly face in the strange area.

"Yami!" Yugi called out with joy. The spirit turned around to see who was calling his name.

"Yugi, there you are!" Yami said.

"Yami, what's going on? I thought there was this guy and-"

"Yugi what are you talking about? If we don't hurry up we'll be late!" Yami took his light's arm and began to run down the hill.

"Late? Late for what?" asked a puzzle Yugi.

"Late for the picnic of course!" Yami laughed.

"Picnic?" Yugi was now truly confused.

xxx

Yami and Joey arrived at the museum a few minutes before closing. Yami looked around to try and find Ishizu.

A woman with tan skin, raven hair, and sapphire eyes was speaking with some men in suits when she felt the presents of a powerful force. She turned to see the pharaoh and his companion at the door.

"May we finish this up later? I have some other matters to attend to." she requested in a firm tone.

"Of course, Ms. Ishtar." The group of men bowed and left.

"My Pharaoh," Ishizu greeted as she walked over towards Yami and Joey. The two boys turn to see their ally and were relieved.

"We've got a small problem." Joey informed with an embarrassed smile.

"I can see." Ishizu turned her body and beckoned for the two to follow her.

"What do we do?" Joey asked.

"Let's discuss this matter in private," she said calmly, "It's not safe out here."

"I hope we weren't interrupting anything." Yami apologized as the group walked towards her office.

"It was only museum business," she replied, "This needs more attention."

When they reached the office, the tall woman opened the door and had her two guests take a seat while she went to her desk. The room was not vast, but the museum was not the biggest one in the city. The walls held a simple color, and the carpet was a basic and light. The chairs were not too comfortable to sit in, but more important matters were needed to be dealt with.

The blonde teen explained what had happen. Ishizu sighed, "I spent years learning about Egypt, but I have not heard anything like this."

The two boys lowered their heads with disappointment.

"_Yugi_," Yami thought to himself worrying about what may occur to his partner. "_If I don't help him soon then what happen to him? Will he be stuck in that unknown state forever? No! This can't happen!_" He clenched his fists. He was determined to find a solution.

"But, I can do some research on this. I'm sure there is at least some information." She stood up and open her office door. "I will let you know what I have found as soon as I can."

Joey and Yami thanked her then left the office to allow Ishizu to do her work.

**To be continued…**

Chao- That's that so far!

YChao- Meh.

Chao- Well, let's hope we get reviews so the story will continue.

YChao- Sure.

Chao- It'll get better!


	3. Deja Vu

Chao- Yay! Chao was able to brainstorm the next chapter!

YChao- Finally.

Chao- It's a bit difficult with school and homework.

YChao- Why bother when you're going to fail anyways?

Chao- BLEH!

"Talking."

"_Thinking_."

**Chapter 3: Déjà Vu**

Tea sat on a chair and watched over her fallen friend in his room. She checked to see if any new signs would appear. While lying on his bed, the young boy's face looked very peaceful.

"I wonder why Yugi didn't seem like himself today." Tea asked herself quietly. The teenage girl was concerned for her companion and wanted to do all she could to help him.

"Tea," a voiced called. The female student turned around and saw Yugi's grandpa standing in the doorway.

"Tea, is everything all right?" Solomon asked as he came closer to his grandson's bed.

"Yes. Well, nothing much has changed if that's what you meant." Tea looked up from Yugi and into his grandpa's eyes.

She could see how depressed he was, especially with the possibility Yugi may remain in his state forever. The female teen shook her head and told herself everything will be fine. She began to reminisce about what happened earlier at school.

Yugi was normally a lighthearted kid, despite being bullied by almost everyone. Even though he was mistreated and taken advantaged of, he still came to school and still held a smile on his face. The girl questioned the sudden change. A part of her feared the boy was withdrawing all his emotions until now.

"_Was there something wrong within the family? Was Yugi trying to call out for help?_"Tea thought to herself. She then gathered the courage to say, "Um… Mr. Muto, may I asked you something?"

The elderly turned his direction from his grandson to his kind friend.

"Well," she began, "I've noticed today Yugi was acting a little strange. I mean, he seemed to be a little distant and at first I just thought he might be sick but now… maybe… Is there anything wrong?"

Solomon just sighed and looked back at his grandson's directions.

"I guess this is affecting him more and more as he gets older," the old man said as though he was more talking to himself rather than to Tea.

"What do you mean?" she asked puzzled.

"Well…" Solomon trailed off as the sound of a door creaked open and two voices could be heard. Tea and the store keeper looked behind them and saw Yami and Joey in the doorway.

"How did it go?" asked the female teen as she stood from her chair. The two boys sighed.

"Ishizu knows nothing about this. She did say she will do some research on this." Yami explained with a hint of defeat in his tone.

"Hello?" called a voice from downstairs.

"It's Tristan," Joey said, "We're up in Yug's room!"

"I thought everyone would be here." Tristan remarked as he came into the room. He wasn't expecting to see Yugi and Yami together as they were, but he could automatically tell magic and a new villain were at large.

Tea then turned her attention towards Solomon and said, "Mr. Muto, wouldn't you about to explain something?"

All faces turned towards the old man.

"Yeah, do you know what's up with Yug?" Joey asked with true concern.

"Well, I wouldn't blame my grandson for behaving the way he has lately." Solomon looked towards the bedroom's window. Outside the sun was setting, and many leaves were blowing in the wind.

"It's that time of year again….."

Flashback

A young, small boy sat on his living room carpet alone. He fiddled around with colorful puzzle pieces. Piece after piece the young boy was able to put together a challenging puzzle. He was pleased when he finished. The illustration showed the whole world with people of many different nations holding hands.

"Grandpa, I finished this puzzle!" the young boy called out with joy over his accomplishment.

"My, you certainly are quick," the old man complimented his grandson. Just then, outside the store, a car pulled up into the driveway. The young boy gasped, "That must be Mommy and Daddy!"

"Yes, let's go meet them." The old man took his grandson's hand and together they walked to the door. The shop keeper opened the door and saw a young man and women walk towards them. The man had spiked hair in black and blonde. The lady had short, maroon hair.

"Hi Dad," greeted the young man to his father.

"Daddy!" cried the young boy, "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Son, your dad and I only left to go buy milk," laughed the young women.

"But it felt like forever," whined the young child.

"Let's go inside," suggested the woman, "It's getting chilly outside."

The family moved into the living room where they all sat comfortably on sofas.

"Mommy, Daddy, I finished this puzzle while you went out!" the young boy pointed to the floor where the completed puzzle resided.

"You work fast, kid," the young man applauded as he patted his son's back.

"Hey, how about after we finished dinner we all go out for a nice drive?" suggested the young lady.

"Yeah!" agreed the child excitedly. As soon as the family finished, they all climbed into a simple, compact car.

"Fasten your seatbelts," instructed the young man with a tiny laugh. He and the lady sat in front while the boy and older gentleman sat in back. They drove off taking in what autumn had to bring. Many trees had their leaves turning colors and some had even fallen off. Some folks were already putting up lights upon their roofs.

"You know, as soon as we get back, I want a drink," said the young man with a grin.

"Isn't a bit early to break that out?" asked his wife.

"It's all right, just one glass," he replied. The young child soon gave out a tiny yawn.

"I think someone is getting tired," the old man said jokingly.

"I'm not sleepy," the young boy informed stubbornly as he rubbed his eye.

"I think we should head home," the young man decided as he made a right turn.

They had traveled a bit further since the young boy had to use a rest stop at a gas station earlier on the trip. The car passed many places including stores, bars, other gas stations, and homes.

"Do you hear something?" asked the young lady as the family approached closer and closer to their house.

"What is it?" asked her son.

The sound of screeching could be heard and it sounded as if it were following the Mutos. The car with the family stopped at a red light.

"Mom, I'm getting a little sleepy," said the young son.

"I know, sweetie," the young lady comforted, "We're almost home."

After waiting less than a minute, the light turned green. The young man lightly pushed on the gas peddle and the car began to move. There was no warning of what happened next.

A pickup truck with an intoxicated driver slammed into the upper left side of the vehicle the family was in.

Sirens were heard from the distance.

Outside on the ground, the young boy was able to see out of one eye the melting of the sun with dancing leaves blowing in the wind.

End flashback

No one said a word. They were all in shock and had no idea how much their friend had suffered. He was in pain and yet was still able to smile. He was able to find goodness in others and wanted to help anyone he could. He was a friend who was there for them.

"I did my best to raise him," Solomon finally said, breaking the silence. "It was difficult since many of the other children picked on him because he was smaller than most of them."

Flashback

A young boy sat in a corner of the living room alone.

"What's wrong?" asked the older man.

"Grandpa, when are Mommy and Daddy coming back?" questioned his young grandson.

"Mommy and Daddy are…" the older man was lost in his words. He couldn't tell his only grandson his parents were dead nor did he think his grandson would comprehend the concept. He knelt down to his grandson's height.

"Mommy and Daddy are in a better place. They are on a trip."

"When are they coming back?"

"They won't. But you can go to them."

"Really? How?"

"By being a good boy and doing what you are told."

"Ok."

The old man walked over to the counter and looked through some boxes. The young grandson glanced over to see what his grandfather was rummaging through.

"What are you doing?" asked the young boy, who was filled with curiosity. The old man turned and said in a cheery voice, "Hey, you know how you like to solve puzzles while you wait for your parents to return?"

"Yeah."

"Well, here's a new puzzle I want you to solve." The old man pulled out a golden box with a mysterious eye on it. The box glowed in the light and some of it shone on the young boy.

"WOW!" exclaimed the young boy with excitement.

"Whoever solves the puzzle gets one wish and the ultimate power of darkness. They will also be granted one wish."

"Really Grandpa?"

"Yugi, I want you to solve this puzzle. It may take you awhile since this one has never been solved by man. But I know you can do it."

"Thank you, Grandpa."

End flashback

Everyone left the room. Yami stayed for awhile. He looked at his lighter half. He was in shock over what he had been told. He could not believe how much pain his partner had felt. He could not believe how his companion was able to continue on after surviving a terrible accident and losing his own parents.

"Yugi," was all the spirit could whisper.

The moon glowed on the angelic face giving him a god-like look. But Yugi was too humble to be a god. He seemed more like a prince. A prince who was kind and fair to all his subjects.

xxx

Yugi and Yami soon arrived to a covered picnic table. Food was everywhere, and all his friends had arrived. An elderly man was setting out plates and napkins. Tea and Serenity sat on a red and green blanket talking away at some random nonsense. All the boys were playing with a soccer ball. Yami ran over to where the boys were and made a goal.

Yugi decided it looked like fun; he ran over there as well. He always enjoyed playing a good game, but he couldn't help but feel as though something was bothering him.

"Wasn't there something going on? Something big?" Yugi asked himself in the center of a grassy field.

"Talking to yourself again are we?" asked a familiar voice.

Yugi turned around to see a young man and lady waiting. The young man had spiky black hair with blonde bangs and the woman had short, maroon hair.

"Could it be?" Yugi gasped in disbelief, "Can they really be?"

"What are you waiting for? An invitation to a Duel Monster's tournament where the winner gets to hug his own parents!" cracked the man with a silly grin.

Yes!

It was!

"Mom! Dad!" Yugi cried as he ran over to his parents. He hugged both of them and held on tightly to make sure he would never lose them again. His parents hugged back.

"Mom, Dad, I missed you so much!" the young boy cried.

"We missed you, too," the young lady said.

"Please, don't leave me again!" Yugi cried again.

"We won't," the woman promised.

The father added, "We're back from our trip and we're here to stay."

xxx

In the real world, everyone left to get some sleep after a long day. They all promised to be back early to see if anything should happen. Solomon set out a sleeping bag onto the ground in Yugi's room so Yami could get some rest.

The spirit found it to be difficult to relax with so much on his mind, but his body eventually won as he was completely worn out after living in the real world with an actual body of his own. Yami was on his side facing away from Yugi. In his bed, Yugi seemed as though he, too, was asleep and having a wonderful dream.

He had a smile on his face and a tear on his right side.

**To be continued….**

Chao- Finally, another chapter is completed.

YChao- Slowpoke.

Chao- What will happen next? Something good? Something bad? In between?

Yami- No! My wonderful lighter side!

Yugi- Be quiet! I'm blissing over here!

Chao- Please review and please give an honest opinion!


	4. Sleep Away Your Problems

Chao- Here's the next chapter!

"Talking."

"_Thinking_."

**Chapter 4: Sleep Away Your Problems**

Yami shifted from one side to the other in his sleeping bag. The blue sack was very cozy, and the inside was especially warm. The pillow the pharaoh had his head was soft and held a fresh, clean smell. There were a few sounds outside the house such as a few cars driving by and the sound of birds chirping. But all around, all appeared peaceful.

The pharaoh slowly opened his eyes to a lightly lit room. Feeling sleepy, he didn't want to move out of his pleasant makeshift bed. He had to admit sleeping felt great. Aside from lying on the floor, Yami understood why his partner sometimes didn't want to exit his bed and would complain about waking up.

"_Yugi!_"

Yami immediately stood up only to fall again due to him still being trapped within his bag. The wave of memory crushed over him hard. He tried desperately over and over to undo it, but the possessed zipper refused to move.

"And I thought you were great." Yami mumbled to himself. After finally loosening his zipper, the spirit went to check on his partner. Yami stood at the side of the bed and gazed down upon his friend. The small boy slept on his back. His big, puppy dog eyes were closed but it gave him an angelic look of peace.

Maybe, just maybe, if Yami shook his partner, he will wake up like he normally would and everything may return to normal. Well, aside from them being separated, but it was better to still have his light awake to help rather than be under some strange sleep. Yami lifted up his right arm and began to gently shake his partner. It wasn't working, so he tried to shake him a little harder.

"Yugi?" Yami tenderly called out. There was no response, so he tried again.

"Yugi." But still nothing happened. Yami then fell on his knees and began to shake his partner even harder.

"Yugi!" he cried sympathetically, "Please, wake up!"

Yami then shifted Yugi from lying down to sitting up. He tried to joggle him harder, "Yugi, it's me, Yami! Wake up!"

The teen's body fell towards Yami's. The young angel was still sleeping. Yami delicately took the resting form and placed him in his original position.

The former pharaoh walked out of the room and into the bathroom. He decided to do the same routine Yugi does when he's up in the morning. Yami then realized Yugi still had school.

"What am I suppose to do," he asked himself as he attempted to use the shower. "I'll see if I can take his place!"

Yami stepped into the shower and twisted the handle decorated with a blue rim. Water immediately began to cascade down and hit the former ruler's body. As soon as the chilly water fell and the sensation began to flow threw, the pharaoh gave out a yelp. He quickly reached for the other handle with a red rim and switched the blue one off. The water changed from freezing, to cold, to warm, and finally boiling. Yami hurriedly turned off the water.

"I don't know how Yugi manages to take one of these _every _day!" Walking out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist, Yami began to look for a school uniform. When he finally found a clean one he realized it was too small. He decided to put back the clothes he was originally wearing. He's seen on some drama shows with his companion how kids can wear something else if they're uniforms are filthy.

"Maybe Yugi's school allows the option of wearing a uniform." Yami mumbled to himself. As he walked downstairs, he noticed Yugi's grandpa was eating some type of sandwich. Yami knew sandwiches were usually reserved for lunch, not breakfast. Solomon then noticed Yami was standing on the stairs staring.

He smiled as he welcomed, "It's about time you got up."

"Um… Do you know if Yugi's school allows uniforms to be a choice?"

"Why would you want to know that?"

"Well, with Yugi in his… condition, I wouldn't want anyone to raise suspicion."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. I called the school this morning and told them Yugi wasn't feeling well."

"But what about the others? I thought everyone was planning to come over."

"Yes, and Tea was the first one to show up. I told her I was going to call the school and tell them Yugi was under the weather."

"But, I didn't hear anyone when I woke up this morning. Maybe I can convince-" Yami was interrupted by someone coming through the game shop door.

"Hello?" the voice called out.

"That sounds like Tea," Yami stated.

Both the old man and the pharaoh went to go confirm what was just suggested. Wearing their school uniform, Tea and Joey stood right in front of the door. The female teen had a concern look on her face while the blonde was determined to find a solution.

"Aren't you suppose to be in school?" Yami asked a tad surprised.

"We got out at noon," she explained.

"Noon?" Yami questioned about how much time flew by between the other day and now.

"I didn't want to wake you because you had such a long day yesterday." Solomon explained towards the spirit.

Just then the phone rang. The old man assumed it was a customer so he answered the phone, "Hello, game shop." He listened carefully to what the other side was saying. He then hung up and looked at the group with a serious look on his face. "That was Ishizu. She said to tell Yami to meet her at her office right now."

"Did she say anything about what's happening to Yugi?" Yami asked with anxiety building within him. His heart began to race as he prayed a solution was found for his partner.

"She didn't say anything aside from saying you needed to comer over right away," the elderly man informed. The spirit nodded and went straight for the door.

"Wait, man," Joey said, "I'll go with you."

Yami nodded once more and both were off to the museum. Tea watched as the two left.

"Tea," Solomon called, "Do you want to see Yugi?"

The girl turned herself around and nodded. She went upstairs and sat in the same chair she did yesterday. Her attention was on her friend, who was still slumbering.

"Yugi, I hope you'll wake up soon." Tea then fought back some tears she did not want to show even if no one else was there.

xxx

Joey explained to Yami how Tristan was dragged into doing some errands for his sister and he will meet up later. As they both ran over to the museum Yami told Joey about his mishap with the iniquity of the shower. The blonde student laughed and told the spirit he had to let the water warm up. Both arrived at the place safely. Yami had to sit on the concrete and rest a bit due to the fact he wasn't accustomed to do sp much physical activity.

"Come on man," Joey chuckled as he offered to help Yami up, "Let's go see if there's any good news."

After accepting the support to stand, the pair walked in and were still amazed at all the Egyptian artifacts that had survived all this time.

"My Pharaoh," a voice came behind the two.

"Ishizu, we came over as fast as we could." Yami explained.

"You said you wanted us here and here we are!" Joey said with a grin.

"Let us discuss the matter further in my office," the woman stated.

xxx

Yugi found himself happily walking down a smooth path with his parents. He was between the two and they were joyfully holding their son's hands. The young teen was glad he was able to enjoy the simple activity with them once more.

The adolescent then thought he heard a familiar voice call him. Without thinking, he let go of his parents to see what was drawing him. The voice was filled with concern and worried. Out in the distance, it called out his name once more.

"_What's going on?_" Yugi pondered. At that point, the voice appeared to break off into quiet sobs. After chasing around to the sound of the volume increasing, the voice suddenly stopped. The boy turned back around and saw his parents had vanished.

"Where'd they go?" Yugi asked himself confused. One moment he was with his parents, and the next he was left all alone. Looking around, he found himself to be in a dark forest. All the trees seemed to be withering away, and the grass stopped growing in the same spot Yugi stood. The smooth walking path began to look rugged and cumbersome.

"Mom? Dad?" Yugi called as he continued walking deeper and deeper into the woods. Suddenly, Yugi began to feel chilly. Wrapping his arms around his shoulders for warmth, he continued to move on. The trees now looked lifeless and limp. The sky went from clear blue to pitch black. There weren't even any stars or a giant moon out.

"This is getting scary." Yugi said, becoming a little frighten. "Dad? Mom? Are you here?"

He then noticed it was harder to breath as the fog became thicker and thicker. At that moment, the teen noticed a door a few feet in front of him. The gateway appeared to be the same as the ones found in the virtual game he was trapped in with all the others as they participated in Battle City.

As Yugi made his way towards it, he started to hear the same voice. By now, it sounded similar to Tea's. Just as the young adult was about to reach for the door handle, a painful sensation struck his chest.

The boy fell down on one knee. He grabbed his chest as though it would make the pain seem less. He then coughed a little and noticed it was becoming harder and harder for him to breathe. Just then, he remembered a time he was beaten up at school. Many kids would pick on him because of his height and lack of muscles. Yugi felt himself becoming cold and lonely.

Suddenly, the boy felt someone grabbing him. He tried to use his strength to break free, but he felt himself too faint and exhausted. He heard his parents' voices. Opening his eyes, he saw his parents. Each one asked him if he felt all right. Unexpectedly, Yugi didn't feel any discomfort; it was as if he was never in pain.

"Yugi!" both parents cried out at the same time.

"What were you doing?" asked Yugi's dad.

"I was following you and Mom and then I found myself in that-" Yugi's voice trailed off only to see the dark forest gone.

"Yugi, you must be more careful!" shrieked the woman in concern.

The two then reached for the child and brought him closer to them. The boy accepted the gesture as he allowed their care to warm him up. Despite the love he felt, he was a little bothered with where he was.

"_Was what I saw only an illusion?_" the teen pondered.

xxx

Tea, who sat by her friend's side, noticed Yugi's face went from peaceful to worry. Then she noticed his body starting shiver. She instantly stood up and went to go search for some blankets to keep her friend from catching a cold. Last thing she wanted was for Yugi to become sick after waking up. As she was walking back she observed she wasn't cold at all when Yugi's body started to shiver.

As Tea walked back towards Yugi's bedroom, she thought she heard coughing. Running to Yugi's room, she saw him sitting up straight with his right hand grabbing his chest and the other made into a fist he was coughing into. Tea right away dropped the blanket and went to go see what was wrong.

"Yugi!" she screamed as she held her friend so he would not lose complete balance.

"Yugi! What's wrong?" the girl began to shake Yugi's body but the coughing still continued.

All of sudden, the hacking stopped, and Yugi's body limped towards the female teen. Relieved the incident had stopped, Tea gently placed her friend's body on his back. She then went over to where she dropped the blanket and picked it up. She strolled back over and gently placed it over fallen companion.

"Yugi," she whispered with tears threatening to fall.

Out of the blue, there was the sound of a window crashing.

xxx

"What did you find, Ishizu?" Yami asked as all three of them sat down. Ishizu opened one of her books on her desk to a page where a tab has been placed.

"I've found this piece of information to be interesting." she said as she pointed to a particular paragraph. Joey and Yami lend closer to see the text.

"It's about a pharaoh who had a battle between him and some rebels. The enemies were very strong and highly skilled, so the pharaoh had to use some souls for magic in order to defeat them." she summarized the reading. Joey began to feel a little creped out when he heard the word souls.

"But what does this have to do with Yugi?" asked Yami.

"You said the man who claimed you took the lives of his loved ones was you?" Ishizu wanted to clarify, "The pharaoh who used this power was you."

"What! I would never use anyone to fight my battles nor would I do anything my people for battle like this!" Yami argued.

"Yes, you didn't." Ishizu agreed, "You announced anyone who was willing to help may choose to do so. You only needed 100 souls when you received 1,000."

"What?" Joey yelled in disbelief.

"Yes, when the man you spoke of mentioned the pharaoh taking away his loved ones, he must have been referring to this event," the woman stated.

"But still, how does this relate to Yugi?" Yami repeated. Ishizu closed the book and put it aside. She took another one from her desk and opened it, "This is a sleeping spell often used in the ancient world. There are many texts that refer to this."

"A sleeping spell?" the two boys asked.

"The purpose is to have the victim sleep for the rest of his life." Ishizu informed.

"That doesn't sound like a good way to plot revenge." Joey stated as he crossed his arms, "Wouldn't it have been better to just challenge Yami to a Shadow Game or something?"

"This spell is much worse than what it seems." Ishizu stated, "The human body can survive without food or water, but that time is limited. If Yugi is asleep for more than that, his body may suffer terrible and severe consequences."

"But couldn't we shake Yugi to wake up? I've tried it before, but if I shook him hard enough maybe…" Yami trailed off for a moment as he reflected on his efforts to save his friend.

"The person within the spell is the only one who can wake himself up." Ishizu informed, understanding the former pharaoh's dilemma.

"Well, isn't natural our buddy would miss us? Surly he would dream about us, remember us, and _want _to wake up." the blonde assumed.

"No, the caster usually seeks out what makes the victim truly happy so he may never want to wake up," the woman explained.

"What!" Joey yelled.

"Oh no," Yami gazed down at his fists as he remembered what the man did. He must have seen what Yugi truly cared about when he impelled his fist into his light. Yami sat up and said he had to go see if he could find that man who did this.

"Pharaoh wait," Ishizu pleaded. Joey and Yami were about to exit when they looked back.

"You must wake him up, but be careful, this will not be an easy task." the Egyptian woman advised. "To him, all will be perceived to be real. You will need to find a way to awaken him without hurting him too much."

The former pharaoh nodded as he understood his instructions. He then sprinted out of the room with Joey right behind him. They were both determined to rescue their friend. They kept running and running knowing every second that past would mean a closer minute until Yugi's possible death. Yami saw the game shop as they arrived closer and closer. Soon, they both saw a tall teen running towards them.

"Hey, it's Tristan!" Joey observed. He was right. The tall brunette quickly met up with them.

"What's up? Any news with Yugi?" Joey asked.

"There's big trouble guys." Tristan informed with a grim face.

"What's wrong?" Yami asked in concern.

"Yugi's been kidnapped," was all the teen could say.

"What!"

All three of them ran down faster to the scene of the crime.

"Tea told me someone broke a window and then there was gas everywhere," Tristan continued.

"_It must be him!_" Yami thought to himself as his heart raced faster and faster as though it would burst out of his chest.

As they arrived, the group saw Tea and Solomon were outside waiting for the smoke to clear. The female adolescent handed Yami a note written in Egyptian.

_Pharaoh, meet me in the park tonight. Bring your deck as we will finally decided your fate._

_- Akana._

_P.S. If you chose not to show up, something even more horrific will happen to your precious treasure._

"Yugi!" the group yelled.

"Damn him." Yami mumbled as he crumpled the note in anger.

**To be continued….**

Chao- Yay, another chapter is done!

YChao- Wait a go and leave these people hanging.

Chao- Hey, be happy this chapter was finally written thanks to insomnia!


	5. Recalling Dreams

Chao- Yay, Chao finally has it!

YChao- You mean you finally decided how the next chapter will be?

Chao- No, Chao finally has a class ring! '09 is so fine!

"Talking."

"_Thinking_."

**Chapter 5: Recalling Dreams**

Yami paced back and forth as his heart and mind was clustered with different emotions and thoughts. Everyone had a serious but sad look on their face. Things seem to be really bad since Joey hasn't made any cracks about the possibility of Yami wearing a hole in the floor.

"Yugi," Yami whispered to himself as he glared out the window. Outside the sun was setting. A few clouds floating by turned pink as the sky became orange with red mixings. It would've been a pretty site to see if there wasn't a mad man on the run with a best friend as his hostage.

"Hey, Tea," Joey started, "What exactly happened between the time me and the pharaoh left and now?"

"Well," Tea began as she recalled the horrific incident.

Flash back

CRASH!

Tea immediately stood up from her chair.

"Is everything ok?" she yelled as she ran downstairs. There, standing on all the shards of a glass stood a man.

"Everything will be if you tell me where Yugi is." the man instructed coolly.

"Who are you!" demanded Tea with anxiety building up in her.

"Always demanding for an introduction, don't you? You modern day people are so impatient," he responded in a sarcastic manner. Tea scowled a little before she realized who the man might be. Her eyes widen and she tried to say, "You're-"

"I have some business to take care with the Pharaoh." he quickly stated.

"_Is he after Yugi to get to the Pharaoh?_" Tea asked herself. By instinct, the teen glanced away from the man towards Yugi's room.

"Ah, so that's where he is!" the man rejoiced. He then quickly vanished.

Tea was alert and kept her eyes and ears open. She wasn't quite sure what she could do, but she knew she couldn't leave Yugi alone with that lunatic. Running back upstairs, she burst through Yugi's door.

The girl froze in the doorway when she saw the man was right next to Yugi's bed. The sleeping adolescent still had his eyes closed and did not know what was occurring around him. He was completely defenseless.

"You leave him alone!" Tea ordered sternly.

"Or what?" asked the man, knowing the adolescent could not do anything to him. He grabbed Yugi by his shirt and lifted him up high with one of his arms.

"Here, give the Pharaoh this," the man ordered as he flicked a piece of paper to Tea. Once the girl received the note, the man threw a small smoke bomb and, with Yugi, disappeared.

End flashback.

"Why didn't I figure this out sooner…" Yami mumbled to himself as he trudged upstairs.

Tea stood up from the chair she sat in and ask gently, "Pharaoh, where are you going?"

"I need to go prepare my deck," he answered, not looking back.

Tea was about to follow him but Joey grabbed her arm. She turned with an angry face but the blonde had a serious expression on his. She then realized Yami needed some time alone.

xxx

Upstairs, Yami walked his way to the bedroom, deep in thought about how he was to rescue his lighter half.

"This man had plenty of time to plan out his revenge. No doubt he'll be tough. But I must win; for Yugi's sake." Yami turned the door handle into Yugi's bedroom and entered. He looked through his partner's top drawer and found their deck. They really had been through so much together, and they had survived through all of it.

"But, all of this was because of me." Yami mumbled as he tightened his grip on the deck.

He sat down and began to flip through every single card in order to come up with a perfect strategy and comeback any traps Akana may come up with. The rays of the passing sun reflected and shimmered on every card placed on the floor. The room slowly began to grow darker and darker as the sun melted into the horizon.

"Yugi," Yami whispered to himself as he became aware the room appeared similar to Yugi's behavior lately.

Flashback

Yugi was deep in thought as he walked slowly towards his house. He hadn't been saying much, and lately Yami had notice his friend seemed to be low on energy. The young boy hadn't gone to the Spider Arcade or to the mall like he normally does. He hadn't been speaking to his friends either.

Wanting to see if there was anything he could do, Yami asked, "Yugi, is something the matter?"

There was a moment of silent as he teen rested his hand on the doorknob.

"Yugi?"

"Hmm?"

"I asked if something was bothering you."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Yami. N-no."

End flashback

As Yami continued to go through all possibilities for a strategy, his nose soon picked up the sweet smell of something cooking downstairs.

"It's getting late and people do have to eat." Yami whispered to himself.

Flashback

Yugi entered his home and placed his bag on a chair in the kitchen.

"Yugi, are you hungry?" asked Solomon.

"No," Yugi replied quietly as he headed up towards his room. Yami felt an eerie silence between the two.

"_Yugi hasn't been talking or eating much lately,_" the dark spirit thought to himself.

He saw his partner sit down at his desk for a moment. The boy took off his Puzzle and placed it next to the gold box along with his deck. Yami felt uneasy that Yugi hadn't even had the energy to play a simple game of Duel Monsters with his school buddies.

"Yugi, are you sure everything's ok?" asked Yami with deep concern for his small companion, "You don't seem to be eating much these days."

"I've just been feeling tired, that's all." Yugi replied as he changed from his uniform to his pajamas and immediately went to bed.

End flashback

Yami quickly gathered up all his cards and started to shuffle them.

"Yugi, if I had noticed something else was wrong then maybe I could have helped you. Maybe all of this could have been avoided if we had talked things out. But now…" Within his frustration Yami shuffled the deck a little too hard, and the cards scattered. One card flew underneath Yugi's bed.

"Darn it," the spirit grumbled. Kneeling down on his knees, he instigated a search for that one card. He felt around for a small, cardboard like piece, but instead he found something a little lighter and slightly bigger than a Duel Monsters card. He retreated his hand from underneath the bed to look at what he had found.

It was an old picture with no frame that held quite a bit of dust on it. Yami was about to toss it aside when he noticed in the center of the picture was a little boy who looked similar to his light. Yami immediately gazed at the image and was surprised to see it truly was Yugi.

The photo was obviously taken in a shop since the background was just a simple red color and the lighting came from all sides to make certain features noticeable. A woman with short, maroon hair and small, brown eyes sat on a chair. A man with spiky black and blonde hair and big, purple eyes stood behind her with one hand in his pocket. Yugi was in the center on the lady's lap.

"These two must be his parents." Yami concluded as he felt a small amount of sorrow grow inside of him. He did not truly know how his partner felt, but he understood the lost of one's parents was never easy. He promised to help his light feel better after he was rescued.

There was another sheet of paper that was somewhat noticeable. Yami reached over and grabbed it to see what it was. The photo had Yugi, Tea, Tristan, and Joey. Yami remembered that day so the image wasn't taken too long ago. He then looked at both pictures.

"_Even though Yugi went through hard times, he smiled a genuine smile._" Yami sighed and said, "Yugi, I respect your privacy but I…We all just wanted help our friend out."

The former pharaoh gently put the photos underneath Yugi's bed and finally found the card. It was the Dark Magician. Yami placed the loyal monster back into the deck and began to shuffle carefully. He then walked over to Yugi's desk and picked up their Duel Disk system.

"Be strong, Yugi."

Yami left the room and walked down the steps. When he came to the den, he was welcomed with the group of teens and old man. Everyone was waiting to help out and fight the evil man who harmed their best bud.

"Hmm, I know what you all are about to say." Yami stated as he knew his friends well.

"Good," replied Joey with confidence, "Then you won't mind letting us get in on some of the fun."

"All right, but as soon as trouble begins to start, and I mean magic trouble, I need all of you to leave the area as fast as you can." Yami ordered sternly, "We don't need to lose anyone else to that mad man."

"Right!" everyone agreed.

Xxx

The group, even the elderly man, arrived in the park while the stars and the moon shined. All waited quietly and intensely for the man to arrive, hopefully with their pal as well.

"Yugi, we will all save you." Yami whispered to himself.

Suddenly, a gust of wind began and an evil laughter soon followed. At once there was a puff of smoke. As it cleared, it reviled Akana holding Yugi with one hand by his shirt.

"Yugi!" the group yelled. Yami was furious at Akana for kidnapping his partner but was relieved to see the teen was fine.

"So, Pharaoh, I see you decided to show up." Akana welcomed in a mocking tone. Yami felt anger bubble up inside of him but decided not to let his hatred harm his partner.

"What? No greetings or exchanges?" the man said unhappily but sprinkled his expression with sarcasm. Yami placed his deck into the Duel Disk slot and stated, "Akana, I know you want your revenge on me so leave Yugi out of this and let us begin our duel!"

"Yes, I agree. Let's get this dual started." Akana nodded as he magically pulled a Duel Disk out of nowhere. The white operating device then immediately disappeared. Yami growled as he spread out his legs preparing to stay ahead of Akana's plan.

Akan held up Yugi closer to him and scorn, "Is this what you want?"

Yami's eye narrowed. He couldn't stand to see his friend treated like a rag doll. Yami's new enemy was too arrogant, and the spirit wanted to make sure Akana paid for causing his partner pain.

Yami then warned, "If you harm him any further, you'll regret it!"

"Being a bit harsh, are we now? Besides, I'm not the one who will truly harm him… You will!" Akana immediately tossed Yugi onto the grass and leaped back.

"Yugi!" everyone yelled once more. Yami started to sprint over towards his partner.

"I wouldn't if I were you!" Akana advised in a mocking tone. The former pharaoh was half way over when Yugi started to stand up. Yami at once froze. He couldn't believe what was happening. Bit by bit, Yugi stood with the Duel Disk on his arm. He then slowly began to open his eyes. They were opening!

"Yugi!" everyone yelled relieved to see that their friend had broken the spell.

"Wait, why would Akana have Yugi wake when Yugi can easily refuse?" Yami asked himself puzzled.

When the teen's eyes had fully unlocked, it had answered Yami's question. The adolescent had his orbs open all the way, but his amethyst eyes were hollow. There were no signs of their small friend being truly awake or aware of where he was.

"He…. He can't mean…" Yami sputter but was interrupted by Akana, "Yes, Pharaoh, you'll have to duel your own precious treasure. But not here!"

Akana started to chant some ancient Egyptian spell and darkness immersed from everywhere and covered all three of them.

"No!" Yami shrieked. He knew what was coming.

"Yes!" Akana confirmed Yami's nightmare, "You two will duel in the Shadow Realm!"

**To be continued…**

Chao- Yup, we'll just leave it there for now.

YChao- Oh, come on now!

Chao- Please review.


	6. From Dreams to Nightmares part I

Chao- Yay! A new chapter!

YChao- What took so long?

Chao- Ya know how you know what you want to write but have trouble to write it? Ya know, to illustrate a point rather than just tell it?

YChao- So, you were lazy?

Chao- Pretty much, yeah.

"Talking."

"_Thinking_."

**Chapter 6: From Dreams to Nightmares Part I**

_To duel in the Shadow Realm is to seal one's fate. For it is in darkness that one's true light shines. A light that is bright will burn on while one that is dim will die quickly. To be put to the test of an ability to glimmer and twinkle even during the darkest hour is not an easy one. For if someone shines than someone must fade._

The darkness of the Shadow Realm began to grow. The dark clouds swirling with wicked magic eventually engulfed Yami, Yugi, and Akana.

Yami was in terror to see his partner facing him with a Duel Disk in hand, waiting to challenge him in a deadly duel. He knew his light could not survive in the darkness for very long. The Shadows will claim one soul whether they both make it through the fight or not. All around them was nothing but gloomy colors and a sinister evil lurking.

"Well, Pharaoh, what do you plan on doing?" Akana taunted. Yami looked from Yugi unto his enemy.

"What can I do?" Yami mumbled to himself, "If Yugi wins this then I will be sent into the murky Shadows. But, if I win then Yugi will suffer eternally. Someone as kind as him does not deserve such a fate."

"It doesn't matter what you chose!" shouted Akana in a haughtily tone, "You'll surely pay a heavy price! Now let's begin the end!"

The unconscious teen placed the deck Akana had given him into the card slot. The Duel Disk began to glow signaling its activation. Yami hesitantly did the same. Both players drew five cards.

xxx

Everyone on the outside witness what happened.

"So, is Yugi ok?" asked Tristan, referring to their small friend being able to stand.

"Not for long!" yelled Joey as he had an unpleasant experience in the Shadow Realm before and understood the consequences, "As long as he's in there, anything could happen!"

Solomon stood there gazing into the darkness he had seen before. His only living relative was in there, and it was possible that was the last time he would see the teen alive.

"No!" Solomon shouted, "I won't accept that!"

Everyone turned their heads and looked at the man. His eyes were strong with hope and were determine to see his grandson again.

"He's right!" Tea nodded, "We all need to be strong and believe that both of them will come out!"

Joey and Tristan agreed.

"We all need to be there for Yugi and the pharaoh!" Joey exclaimed.

They all formed a circle and placed their right hands on topped of one another. Together they held faith in both Yugi and Yami that they will find a way to undo the mess and defeat their enemy.

xxx

"Well, Pharaoh, since you won't make the first move, I guess I'll have my little puppet do it." Akana called out.

Yami glared at his enemy with pure hatred for forcing his light to fight him and calling Yugi Akana's plaything.

The adolescent gazed at his cards with an empty expression while seeing what strategy could be pieced together. He then took one card and placed it in the Magic/Trap slot and set another into defense mode face down.

Yami looked at what was placed onto the field and carefully examine his next move. Yami then reminded himself, "_I may not know what cards Akana has, but I must be careful not to harm Yugi_."

"I place one card face down, and then I'll set the Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1 (1400/1200) in defense mode." Yami announced. With that, one card was placed face down and a blue dragon appeared. Since the spirit could not attack, not that he would right away, it was Yugi's turn.

Yugi drew one card and looked at his hand. He then placed Dragon Zombie in attack mode (1600/0). Yugi had his card attack, but his command was just a whisper. The devious, undead dragon flew over and struck down the other creature.

Yami braced himself for the assault. Yugi placed one card faced down and ended his turn. Yami drew a card. He looked up from his hand onto his partner and then to Akana. He knew the wicked man was enjoying every moment that was passing by.

"I place Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode!" Yami announced as a huge creature made of grey and brown rocks popped up.

"What's wrong, Pharaoh? Afraid of fighting back?" mocked Akana. Yami just glared at the man.

Yugi drew one card. He then activated his faced down, Fissure. The card immediately was able to rid Yami of his monster. He then had his dragon attack. The former ruler braced himself as his life points dropped to 2400. The pain of the assault was devastating, but not as much as the agony the spirit felt from having his partner attacking him unconsciously.

"Yugi," Yami panted as he regained some strength back, "I will think of something."

xxx

Yugi found himself walking causally down a smooth dirt path. He then came to tree with his darker half sitting under it. The boy had a smile on his face as he began to pick up his walking pace. Yami was in the shade flipping through his deck. Yugi sat right next to him, admiring his partner and his skills as a duelist.

"Hey, what are you doing Yami?" Yugi finally asked. Yami looked up from his deck briefly, smiled and went back flipping his deck.

"Yami!" Yugi yelled. The spirit found an enjoyment of pretending to ignore his light.

"Fine, I'll just go then," a fed up adolescent pouted. He stood up from his spot, but before he could take a step, someone grabbed his arm. He looked to see Yami was the one.

"Yugi, why don't you and I have a duel?" Yami asked as he stood up, "Just for fun."

Yugi looked into his dark's eyes and then smiled.

"Sure," he agreed.

The two stood opposite of one another. They both had on their arm a Duel Disk and had cards ready to play. After a brief stare down Yugi announced, "I'll make the first move!"

The teen took one card and placed in the Magic/Trap slot and placed another into defense mode face down. Yami smiled as he said "I place one card face down and I place the Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1 (1400/1200) in defense mode."

Yugi drew one card and looked at his hand. He the summoned Dragon Zombie in attack mode (1600/0).The adolescent thought to himself he could attack Yami's, seeing as his had the greater attack points.

"I'll have my monster attack you!" Yugi whispered. He then noticed that his voice wasn't too loud, "Wait, did… did my monster hear that command?"

The dragon clobbered the other monster. Yami braced himself for the assault. The younger boy ignored what had happen and placed one card faced down and ended his turn. Yami then drew a card and said, "I place Giant Soldier of Stone into defense mode!"

Yugi drew one card. He then activated his card that was face down, Fissure. The card immediately had Yami's monster terminated. He then had his dragon attack. Yami braced himself as his life points dropped to 2400.

"_Is… he going easy on me?_" Yugi pondered.

xxx

Yami drew one card then looked at his hand. He had one facedown with no monsters while Yugi had one facedown and Dragon Zombie in attack mode. Just then, the spirit felt something wrong. He looked up from his cards and his face turned from solemn to horror. He saw his light growing pale and breathing a bit harder. Akana saw the pharaoh changing his expression.

"So, having the monster out on the field is draining his energy now, isn't it," he scorned.

Yami did not want to admit it but knew Akana was right. The longer Yugi had his monster out on the field, the more energy he would be using. Matters will only become worse if the teen summons more than one monster at a time.

Yami knew he had to destroy Yugi's monster without harming his partner. If he were to attack, then the pain will go straight to Yugi. Yami went back to looking at his cards and formed an idea. He decided to activate his Change of Heart card and Dragon Zombie moved over to Yami's side.

"What are you up to, Pharaoh!" Akana questioned, shocked at his enemy's move. "You can't attack your light unless you want to bring him harm."

"That's not my plan!" yelled Yami, "I chose to sacrifice Yugi's monster and bring out Curse of Dragon!"

The undead creature cried out as it began to disappear. A yellow dragon then took his place.

"That's my move." Yami announced. "_At least now Yugi won't need to use any extra energy to hold out a monster_."

Yugi's expression had yet to change since the beginning of the duel. His face had been just a blank look with empty eyes. Yami longed for his light to smile and to have the gentle, soft sparkle they always had. Yugi looked back at his hand and took one card. He placed a monster in defense mode to protect his life points. But as the teen took the card, Yami noticed his lighter half's hands were shaking.

"Yugi," Yami felt concern. His concentration on his light was interrupted by the laughter of Akana.

"My, how much longer will this little mortal last against the powers of an ever growing darkness?" the man mocked.

Yami knew Akana had also noticed Yugi turning pale and wheezing. Although the small boy had plenty of experienced in the actual Shadow Realm, only once did he have to use his own strength to keep a monster on the field.

xxx

Yami drew one card then looked at his hand. He had one facedown with no monsters while Yugi had one card faced down and Dragon Zombie in attack mode. Yami decided to activate his Change of Heart card, and the monster Yugi owned moved over to his side.

"I choose to sacrifice your monster and bring out Curse of Dragon!" Yami declared with pride. The creature cried out as it began to disappear. A yellow dragon then took his place.

"That's my move." the spirit announced with a smirk on his face.

Yugi looked back at his hand and took one card. He placed a monster in defense mode to protect his life points. But as he took the card, he noticed how both of his hands were trembling.

"_What's wrong… with my… hands?_" Yugi asked himself. He then noticed his vision of his darker half was starting to blur, and it was becoming more and more difficult to breath.

"_What… wrong with… me?_" Yugi gasped. He began to feel as though he would collapse any moment.

"_Why am I… getting… so… tired?_"

**To be continued…**

Chao- Dun dun dun!


	7. From Dreams to Nightmares Part II

Chao- Does anyone know what it's called when you have your broad ideas but can't think of how to write it?

YChao- Yeah, it's called laziness!

Chao- Hmmm…

"Talking."

"_Thinking._"

**Chapter 7: From Dreams to Nightmares Part II**

Yami had to think of something fast, "_How can I saved Yugi?_"

Time was running out for the both of them as the Shadows began to grow impatient. Yami drew one card from his deck. He only had 2400 life points while Yugi still had all of his.

"I know I have to save Yugi. But until I think of a plan I still need to keep my life points." Yami mumbled to himself. He looked at his hands then on to the field. Yugi had one monster card faced down in defense mode while he only had one creature.

"I place one monster in defense mode and one card faced down." the spirit announced. Two cards had appeared on the field; one card in the monster zone and the other card was placed in the Magic/Trap zone.

Yugi drew one card. He whispered to sacrifice his faced down monster for Summon Skull (2500/1200). The teen then played a trap card, Ultimate Offering. The continuous trap card allowed Yugi to Normal Summon or Tribute Summon monsters at the cost of 500 life points per monster.

Yugi's life points went down to 3500. As his life points began to diminish, the young boy began to grow paler. A knight on a horse appeared on the field (2300/2100) and Yugi ended his turn. Yami saw how much the move had cost his friend.

"_This isn't like Yugi at all. His strategy is unlike his personality._" Yami then realized something, "_Wait, is this Yugi at all? Or is he being controlled by Akana? If so then maybe that's why he's been playing a little… defensive?_"

xxx

"_I still have all of my life points while Yami has 2400. What can I do to continue this? I wonder if Yami has some type of combat? Is that why he's been playing the way he has? It's all part of a strategy?_" Yugi thought to himself. Yami drew one card. He then placed one card in defense mode and another in the Magic/Trap zone.

"Let's see what you have," stated Yami with an arrogant smirk on his face.

"_That smile is unlike Yami._" Yugi thought to himself as he drew a card. He looked at his hand as he brainstorm ideas for his next move. "_What is Yami scheming? I already have one monster in defense mode. Should I sacrifice it for something powerful? Like the Summon Skull? Or should I play it safe and not do anything?_"

Yugi lifted his head when he heard Yami say with pompousness, "Yugi, you know as well as I do that a duelist needs to take chances."

The teen knew his darker half was right.

"_Well even if it is a trap I need to be able to do something so I can get rid of that facedown._"Yugi took one card from his hand and announced, "I sacrifice my monster in defense mode for Summon Skull!"

The skeleton creature appeared in a bolt of lightning. The small teen was quite proud of his choice, "_Summon Skull is a pretty powerful monster. If Yami was planning to summon a monster, it would have to be more powerful than 2400 attack points._"

Yugi was about to end his turn when his right hand began to move for the trap card in his left hand.

"Wha- what's going on? How is it possible for my hand to move like this?" Yugi tried to resist, but his strength was no match; it was as if his arm was following a different command. His hand grabbed a trap card and used it on the field.

"Ultimate Offering?" Yugi tried with all of his might to stop himself from using it, but it was too late. The card had been activated. The adolescent then felt his hand moving for another card.

"NO!" he yelled in desperation. Again he tried to stop his hand from moving.

"I- I can't use that card! I have no reason to use it!" Yugi's hand had grabbed for another card and had summon it onto the field.

Now his life points had dwindled down to 3500. As soon as Gaia the Fierce Knight had been summoned, the boy felt a powerful strike of pain enter his upper body. With each heart beat, Yugi could feel the agony embrace his entire body, with the exception for his chest; that had received twice the amount of throbbing. The sensation began to take over his entire body, and as it did the teen screamed in pain. He grabbed onto his chest and fell down to on one knee. He began to pant.

"_What's… going on? Why…. Why am I feeling… this?_"

xxx

Yami was about to draw a card when he saw his light fall to the ground on one knee and used one hand to grab his chest. Yami grew into shock followed by terror as he called out, "YUGI!"

The spirit was about to make a run for his partner when he herd Akana jeering, "Now, Pharaoh, you mustn't rush to your poor, precious treasure least you automatically forfeit the duel."

Now that he knew how much Yugi had gone through, Yami was thinking about considering that option.

"_Even if I send myself to the Shadows, will Yugi be safe? Or will he be forever trapped within this insane man's spell?_" Yami then turned his head towards the man who was laughing, "I can't be held responsible for what happened to this young one after you chose to do yourself in!"

"_Damn!_" Yami cursed at himself, "_What else can I do?_"

The spirit looked up and saw his light began to stand straight up. Although he had that blank stare, Yugi shoulders began to fall and raise as he struggled to breath air into his lungs.

"_Yugi, please, hold on a bit longer._" Yami looked at his hands and then onto the field. "_Maybe if I come up with a way to have both of our life points down to zero, neither of us will be sent to the Shadow Realm. But I'll need to rid you of those monsters so you can breath easier without harming you._"

Yami pulled one card from his hand and declared, "Dark Hole!"

All the monsters on both sides were sucked into a black vortex and moved into the Graveyard.

xxx

Yugi continued to struggle to breath as he painstakingly pushed himself up. He yelled as the sensation of the pain ran throughout his entire body.

"Yugi," laughed Yami, "We can't continue the duel until you stand up!"

Yugi nodded as he began to stand up straight. He then looked at his arm and hands. They both seemed to be working fine.

"_What… was that… all… about?_"he questioned.Suddenly, he felt as though he was not getting any air into his system. He took his hand and placed it between his throat and chest.

"_I… I can't… breath!_"Yugi exclaimed as he felt his body growing weaker and weaker. His hands felt as though they were both holding heavy weights of sand, and his feet would collapse under the pressure.

"Dark Hole," was what Yugi heard as he saw both of his monsters disappear. But as soon as they did, Yugi could feel himself gaining some strength back, and the pain slowly vanishing.

"_Was that his plan all along? Did Yami not attack me so he could destroy some of my powerful monsters?_"Yugi then noticed his vision was becoming blurry once more.

xxx

Yami summoned another monster in defense mode faced down. He then thought he herd someone calling his and Yugi's name.

"_That's not Akana's voice._"Yami glanced at his enemy and noticed the man held a scowl on his face. The voices sounded familiar somehow to Yami, but he did not understand why. The voices appeared warm, friendly, and encouraging. It suddenly hit Yami; those where their friends' voices!

The dark spirit closed his eyes and smiled as he thought, "_They continued to cheer Yugi and I to do our best_."

It was now Yugi's turn. The boy's arm began to tremble as he drew his card. He summoned one monster faced down in defense mode. He then used his Ultimate Offering to summons three more creatures all in defense mode.

"WHAT!" Yami exclaimed as he anxiety began to build up once more. The smaller boy then used a magic card, Diffusion Wave-Motion. With that card, Yugi was able to summon the Dark Magician (2500/2100).

"_What is Yugi thinking? With this card he has to sacrifice 1,000 life points in order to summon a level seven or higher monster. Only that monster can attack me, but it allows him to attack me depending the number of monsters on his field. This isn't like Yugi!_"Yami then realized, _"Or maybe this isn't Yugi's strategy… Is this Akana's strategy? Is he… panicking?_"

xxx

Yugi began to stand up as he heard someone calling his and his darker half's name. It was his friends! They seemed to be interested in the show.

"Yugi! Do your best!" Tea called.

"Be careful Yug, you know Yami has a trick up his sleeve!" advised Joey.

"Hey, isn't anyone going to root for me?" asked Yami as he laughed.

"We'll cheer for the both of you," winked Tristan.

Yugi felt relieved knowing someone out there cared. As he looked at his hands, he began to hear voices coming from the other side. The adolescent looked up and grew with pure joy as he saw his parents and his grandpa come to cheer them on.

"Come on, Yugi," applauded the old man, "You should be able to think a way out of this one!"

Yugi's mom clapped while his dad gave him a victory sign. The teen drew one card and looked onto the field. Yami had destroyed both of their monsters but now had something in defense mode.

"_Which monster could it be? If it is something with a powerful defense points then I may receive damaged. But if I summon something powerful then he may use a card to destroy it._"Yugi felt his hands working fine so he placed one monster in defense mode.

"_What next?_"Yugi asked himself. But before the boy knew it, his arm began to move again on its own once more.

"NO! Not again!" he yelled as fear began to enter his mind. His arms had reached for three more monsters and placed them on the field. This had brought Yugi down to 2000 life points. With each monster that was summoned, Yugi felt his heart throbbing with increasing pain, far more devastating than his last turn. Yugi again used his hand to grab his chest in agony.

He squeezed his eyes shut and whispered to himself, "It's…. it's as… as though m-my…. heart…. is being… hit…. by… da-daggers."

The boy felt he had enough when he heard his parents cheer for him. Yugi open one eye and looked towards his parents smiling faces. He gained what little strength he had and continued to play.

"_I…. I must show… .how…. I'm not…. not small…. anymore_." Despite the physical pain, Yugi was glad to see a familiar card in his hand, the Dark Magician. "_If I can…. summon this…. then… then maybe… I… can use…. these monsters… as…. as a… sacrifice._"

Yugi was prepared to use his creatures in an honorable way. However, his hand had another idea as it began to move for another card.

"What!" Yugi cried out. He tried to resist, but the rest of his body was not cooperating.

"_The rest…. of my… body…. it's….. it's too…. tired_…." Yugi felt himself breathing heavily as his hand snatched one card and placed it in the Magic Zone.

The card was Diffusion Wave-Motion. Yugi couldn't resist any longer as his hand began to pull the Dark Magician onto the field. The card required the player to use his life points and bring him down to 1,000 life points. Yugi could hear everyone cheer as he had brought out his signature card; a sure sign of victory.

"Dark Magician…. I…. I can't…. use this…. against….. Yami…. It's… it's…. our favorite…" The weary boy felt his vision becoming blurry and everything around him sounded like one huge hum as the magic card took away the last of his strength from his physique. He began to feel his body turning numb as he gasped for air. Yugi could no longer keep awake.

Before falling into complete darkness, Yugi whispered one last command, "Please… don't attack… Yami…"

xxx

"You know what, Pharaoh," asked Akana as Yami drew one card, "There is no point in trying to decide a winner."

Yami grew impatient but knew Akana meant something significant, "If you do forfeit, then Yugi may never wake up. But if you win, then your precious treasure will be going with the Shadows, and you know how merciless they can be. But I think I found a way to satisfy the both of you."

Yami clutched his cards he held in his hands as he looked towards his light, who was growing paler and paler by the second. The evil man continued, "You see, the longer it takes you to come up with a plan to save you both, the longer little Yugi stays in the Shadow Realm. Even if you do come up with something, it may be too late!"

Yami gasped as he realized his enemy's plan, "_So that's why he had Yugi summon all of those monsters! They've been taking away his life points! And with each monster on the field, Yugi will grow weary! His body and mind can't operate under so much pressure!_"

Yami looked at his partner, who was white as snow. His shoulders were rising up and down as he struggle to inhaled and exhale. The dark spirit then saw a monster summoned by the magic card, Dark Magician!

"If Yugi is under control of Akana, then why hasn't he attacked me yet?" Yami asked himself, "Could Yugi be trying to resist? But…. But how can he under this much stress?"

Yami knew since Dark Magician could attack for all five monsters, his life points would go down to zero. He would be sent the Shadow Realm while Yugi may never wake up!

Yami snapped out of his thoughts when saw in horror as he saw his lighter half falling to the ground.

"YUGI!" the spirit of the Puzzle cried out as he ignored the rules and rush to his collapsed partner. He was able to reach the boy just in time before the teen had hit the floor.

"YUGI!" Yami sobbed as he lifted up his partner's limp body.

"YUGI! PLEASE! ANSWER ME!" Yami bellowed as he shook the teen's body in hoped of receiving any type of response. After a moment of silence, nothing came out. Yugi was only breathing small, shallow breaths and had a very weak heartbeat.

"Don't leave me…" Yami painstakingly cried as he pulled his small friend closer to his body. Tears cascaded down the former pharaoh's face. One tear landed on Yugi's forehead, another on his deck, and one more on the center of his chest.

"Yugi," Yami whispered.

All hope was lost.

Everything went wrong.

An innocent soul had been claimed by the Shadows.

Yami felt completely powerless as his closest friend was taken away forever.

Suddenly, a big, white flash occurred in the middle of the field.

"What did you do Pharaoh!" Akana asked stunned.

While holding Yugi even tighter Yami questioned, "A… a bright light in the Shadow Realm?"

**To be continued….**

Chao- Yes! It may be 2:00 in the morning while this is being typed, but so worth it!

YChao- Yeah, was it worth it losing fans and sleep?

Chao- Well, there had to be research done for the cards and their effect.

YChao- So, you basically forgot the rules to the game?

Chao-…Yes….


	8. Lucid Dreaming Part I

Chao- OK! The only way to beat writer's block is to write!

YChao- And yet here you are typing and browsing social networks at the same time.

Chao- Hey, the Internet can be quite addicting!

"Talking."

"_Thinking_."

**Chapter 8: Lucid Dreaming Part I**

The bright light caused Yami and Akana to cover their eyes; it was though the sun had enter the realm of darkness. Quickly, Yami turned and covered his partner with his own body. He continued to hold Yugi's limp form with a strong grip.

"_What's going on? Why is there a bright light within the Shadows?_" he thought to himself while still protecting his worn out friend.

As the light toned down, both the hero and villain looked to see what the bright flash had produced. A beautiful Egyptian woman with brown eyes and raven hair stood among the shine wearing a simple tan dress and a simple pair of gold earrings. Her waist length hair was held back with a simple, gold headband. Behind her was a small boy, about the age of ten, with short brown hair and brown eyes. He, too, had on a simple tan outfit and was clinging onto the woman's dress.

"This madness must stop," she stated with a stern look on her face.

"Amisi, Akhom" Akana began in shock, "Is that really you?"

The lady grew a warm smile across her face and replied, "Yes, it's been too long."

Yami turned his attention towards his enemy while continuing to hold Yugi tightly and asked himself, "What is the relationship between these two?"

He glanced back towards the woman and then the child. He noticed the young boy resembled both Akana and the woman.

The mood shifted from a happy reunion to a break into a harsh reality when Akana bellowed, "And we wouldn't have to be in this situation if it wasn't for this unprofessional pharaoh!"

Yami turned his focus back towards Akana.

"If that man had shown responsibility and leadership, neither of us would be in this situation!" the enemy yelled while pointing his finger over at Yami, who was speechless as he had no memory of the events the man had stated. All Yami did remember was what Ishizu had told him, but he couldn't help but feel out of character for doing such a deed.

"Akana," the wife pleaded, "That war was not at all the fault of our Pharaoh!"

"Of course it is!" Akana argued back, "He's the reason why our beloved country was at war, why we were losing, and why everyone was taken away! A better, more mature leader would have been able to solve the problems without having to go to the extreme of taking the lives of others! Now he knows all the pain he had caused to the people who had to live through it."

The former pharaoh looked down at his light. Yugi was still breathing, but it was very thin. He still had a heart beat, but his pulse was extremely weak. His face went to be even more pale as his skin turned white as snow. His body was almost completely limp.

Yami knew it was only a matter of time before the Shadows had taken complete control, causing the boy to spend an eternity within the darkness, forever in pain with no chance of hope. The spirit knew now what heartache Akana had felt. Losing a person someone really cared about placed a gigantic hole within Yami's heart.

A hole that can never be filed again because he would never see his lighter half again. No one would see his smiling face or hear his childish laugh. Yugi will be stuck in a coma-like state forever while Yami would be in his own darkness. He would be forever within the dark maze of the Puzzle, wandering around with no purpose and no hope of ever seeing the light again.

"Even if all this was true," Yami mumbled, "Yugi doesn't deserve this. He's never done any harm to anybody, and here he is being punished for something that took place several millenniums ago."

Tears began to form once again on the spirit's face, "The only problem he had endured on his own was the lost of his parents. We all tried to help even though none of us knew the entire story, but he had pushed us back. He did not want anyone to feel the pain of losing someone that you love."

"That is not at all what had happen!" the young woman shouted, snapping Yami back into his current situation.

"Akana! Please listen to those who care about you," pleaded the woman, "Yes, it's true our beloved country was under attack, but the idea of taking our souls was not the Pharaoh's fault!"

Tears began to form on the woman's face as she continued to explain, "You went off into battle, and your son and I never saw you again. We had assumed you were killed in battle. Rather than suffer through the pain of living in turmoil, Akhom and I decided to sacrifice our lives too so that we would be able to save our country and be with you for all eternity…"

Amisi managed to choke out what she needed to say next through her sobs, "But I guess you didn't die after all."

Yami and Akana were shocked about what they had just heard: A battle, a miscommunication, a loving family broken apart, all wrapped into a twisted situation that had return after five millenniums ago. The young boy left his mother's side and walked over towards his father.

"Akhom," Akana mumbled.

"It wasn't anyone's fault," the child said, "We all just wanted to be together, like a family. That young boy and the Pharaoh don't need to pay for what had happen. The Pharaoh was in enough pain, and that boy has nothing to do with what had happen."

"_Young boy?_" Yami thought to himself, "_Yugi is older than what that child is… err… was_."

"Isn't there a way for all of this to be undone?" the young boy asked his father. Akana knelt down and looked into his son's eyes.

"I'm afraid not," he stated. Akana then walked over the Yami. The spirit of the Puzzle clutch his fainted partner even tighter to make sure no harm would continue onto the innocent soul that is Yugi, for the former pharaoh still had hope there was a way to save his light.

"I won't cause him any more harm," Akana announced. Yami thought about what the formal villain just said. He knew if Yugi was fully awake, he would have forgiven the man and listen to what he had to say; that was simply the nature of Yugi Muto.

Akana placed his hand over Yugi's deck. Akana surrendered the duel making Yami the victor.

"But… but if you surrender," Yami stuttered in shock, "It means Yugi'll be the one the Shadows will take!"

Akana stood while looking down at the floor with no expression on his face, "I don't deserve to be in the same happiness with my wife and son. I have chosen the path of hatred and revenge rather than forgiveness and acceptance."

Yami stood up still carrying Yugi's body. He understood what the man had said and replied, "I don't know if this'll mean anything in the Shadows, but I know this soul right here would have forgiven you."

Akana nodded his head.

"My wife, Amisi, will be able to help you out with the spell that has been placed over the boy." Akana then turned his attention towards his wife and son. They had figured out that sadness will soon follow.

Tears began to form down their faces as their husband and father said to them, "I love you both very much."

With his final breath the Shadows had taken Akana, for the dark magic does not care how righteous or evil, justice or vengeance, a person is taken away as a punishment for the loser. The Shadow Realm started to slowly fade away.

xxx

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Tristan.

"Looks like the game is over," observed Joey.

"I sure hope that those two are ok." pleaded Tea. The group of friends were slowly able to see Yami carrying Yugi through the dark fog.

"Hey!" shouted Joey with happiness. Yami turned his body towards his friends who were glad to see him and vice versa. All of them ran towards the spirit and each asked him questions at the same time confusing him.

"How did the duel go?"

"What was your trump card?"

"We all tried to cheer for the both of you!"

"I can see that he's still not awake," observed Solomon.

Everyone paused for a moment. Among seeing Yami emerged victorious from the darkness, Yugi was still trapped within the spell. Yami only nodded, "Yes, and I'll explain what had happen after we deal with this."

Yugi may have been taken out of the Shadow Realm, but he was still pale and his breathing was still in a panting state. Not only had his body just came out into the light, but his mind was still under the spell. The boy still needed to be saved.

Tea looked at her fallen friend and noticed this as well. She hoped her friend since childhood would be able to pull through again like he has in the past. She prayed the answers would be awaken soon. Yami looked back towards the Egyptian people.

"Who are they?" asked Tristan, a little suspicious.

"They're Akana's wife and son," answered Yami.

"Really!" asked Joey in disbelief, "How can someone so evil get a wife that pretty?"

Amisi smiled and said, "Pharaoh, you must know none of this is not your fault. You did the best

you could, and under circumstances I think what you did was right."

Yami nodded and waited for Amisi to continue, "I will try and help you, but in doing so you may cause harm to that young boy."

"How so?" asked Yami with great curiosity. "_Hasn't he been through enough? He's already lost his parents and was nearly taken to the Shadow Realm. Why does more pain need to follow?_"

"As you may know, the spell involves keeping the victim to forever sleep and never wake up. The key is to find what makes that person the most happiness; with that happiness, the victim to the spell may never want to wake up. They may have their happiness confused with reality, and their body in the real time will suffer the consequences." Amisi explained, "I know you were part of the Puzzle for several millenniums so I will send you back, connecting you once again with the boy."

The former Pharaoh nodded. He knelt down and tried to gently placed his partner into a comfortable position on the ground. However, Solomon had also knelt down onto the ground. He took his grandson from Yami's arms and placed Yugi onto his own lap.

Yami understood what needed to be done. Tea also knelt down but she was on adjacent to Mr. Muto. Yugi looked so peaceful; his breathing and heat beat had return to normal as his color also slowly returned. Yami had stood up and waited for Amisi to finish.

"Wait, can't we go, too?" asked Joey, wanting to do more for his friend than just wait and hope.

"Isn't there something else we could do?" Tristan asked, feeling the same way. Amisi shook her head with discontent, "The balance within the Puzzle would be shaken. It would be not only dangerous for your friend but for you both as well."

The two guys sighed with frustration. It didn't matter to them if they had placed their lives on the line. They had done so many times in the past! But, to endanger Yugi would be awful, especially if something went wrong. Yami may not be able to break the spell if he had to look after two humans with no power. All they could do is to continue to do what they have been doing.

Amisi began to chant a spell. A bright, yellow light wrapped around Yami's body. Unlike the first spell, this one had a warm feeling to it. Yami knew this was because he was going to be connected with Yugi once more. He closed his eyes as he accepted what had been placed over him. All of their friends wished him luck as he began to vanish from sight.

xxx

Yami felt the warm glow fade away. He opened his eyes to find himself once again among the dark walls within his maze. Even though he had never liked the feeling of being there, now was not the time to focus on himself; he had to find and defeat the spell wrapped around his partner, his light, his Yugi.

The spirit inhaled a breath of cold air before running towards his main entrance to his Soul Room. He passed by many doors and walls to arrive to his main room. After running for several minutes, he finally made it. He opened the door of his Soul Room, and to his happiness, his partner's Soul Room was right across from his. However, to his dissatisfaction, there was a closed door right in front of Yugi's room.

"Odd, there was never a closed door in front of here before." Yami observed out loud, "Yugi is an open person and has always welcomed everyone into his life."

Yami crossed the hallway and placed his hand on the doorknob. To his surprise the doorknob was cold.

"This is so unlike Yugi," Yami said to himself.

The spirit of the Puzzle tried to open the door, but it was stuck. He let out a sigh. He widen his legs, placed both hands on the doorknob, and after three tugs he was able to open the door. He reminded himself this was all the result of that spell. He saw in front of him was a bight light. Beyond that is where Yugi was.

Yami took a deep breath and walked into Yugi's Soul Room.

**To be continue…**

Chao- Updated. Happy?

YChao- Psh, no; now you gotta write the next chapter!

Chao- Yeah, yeah, that'll get done soon.

YChao- Oh really? When the world ends?

Chao- Maybe.


	9. Lucid Dreaming Part II

Chao- Baleted…Delteted… Del Taco?

"Talking."

"_Thinking_."

**Chapter 9: Lucid Dreaming Part II**

Yami walked into Yugi's Soul Room. He covered his face with his hands to shield off the bright light coming his way. After a few seconds, the flash faded away, and Yami was able to see where he was walking.

He was astonished to see he did not waltz into a room filled with toys that reflected his partner's innocence; instead he came into a deep, dark forest filled with dead trees and a pitch black sky. The path he entered on was rough and cumbersome. He covered his shoulders with his hands to keep himself warm as the atmosphere filled him with chills. Despite all that, Yami marched on, determined to finally free Yugi.

"_I wonder if this is part of the spell,_" he thought to himself as he looked around, "_Could it be this was to scare the victim into not wanting to enter back into reality?_"

The spirit continued on. As he searched, he used his own magic to locate Yugi. But, it was very difficult as magic everywhere, which was mainly dark. Yami stayed focused on a small portion of positive energy. He was pleased to feel the same connection he usually had with Yugi. However, he became alert when the same feeling was fading away.

He quickened his paced. The magic Yami concentrated on eventually led him out of the dank forest. Outside the sky was clear blue, the grass was bright green, and the path Yami was walking on became smooth. He immediately knew something was not right, "_Now why did everything turn from dark to light_? _Either way, I must find Yugi._"

The spirit eventually stopped when he approached a hill with three people on top. Yami looked carefully and was filled with joy when one of the people was Yugi. Yami was about to call out his lighter half's name when he was unsure who the other two people were.

He hid behind a bush while laying low. He watched cautiously to take in his situation and see how Yugi was feeling. Despite all what took place in the real world and the attitude Yugi had displayed for the past few days, Yami was torn between bliss and sorrow. He was glad his friend finally wore a genuine smile on his face, but he was crestfallen all of this was an illusion.

"_Even if this is a misapprehension, then is it possible those two people are…._"Yami trailed off as he observed closer. As he focused his eyes, he could see a woman with short maroon hair and male with short raven hair. Both had features similar to Yugi. Yami gasped as he remembered that photo he had seen earlier while preparing his duel deck, "_Those are Yugi's parents!_"

Again, the spirit felt torn on the inside. He was in a quandary about what to do, "_Should I go up and just grab Yugi? Should I wait until he's alone?_"

The worst part of what Yami truly felt was how Yugi was feeling, "_He looks so happy… He goes around helping others at the risk of his own life. Is it so wrong for Yugi to enjoy a little happiness with the people he truly loves?_"

He started to tremble behind his cover, "_If I left Yugi alone for a little bit longer, will this affect him tremendously in reality? But if I do, will Yugi not be convinced this is all dream?… Maybe I should at least talk with him._"

Yami gathered together his courage and walked briskly up the hill. As he approached his friend, the spirit found he was feeling uneasy; making a smile into frown is never an easy job. Yami really did not want to do this, but he was warned his task was not an easy one. He knew sometimes, in order to help someone out, you need to hurt them by showing them the harshness that is reality.

The only difference was that friends help friends see the light and make it through the dark tunnel of troubled times. Yami was only a few inches behind Yugi. He quietly lifted his right arm and was about to tap Yugi on his shoulder when the young boy turned around. He smiled. Yami immediately pulled his hand back down.

"Hey, Yami," Yugi greeted with his usual cheerfulness, "What's up?"

Yami was taken back. It had felt like an eternity since he last heard Yugi's sweet, gentle voice. He stumbled to find the right words he knew he had to say, "Err… Yugi… there's something…we need to… talk… about."

Yugi still wore an actual smile across his face, but he listen to what his friend had to say. Yami took in a deep breath, but before he could start he was interrupted.

"Is everything all right," asked a man with short, black hair. Yami could feel his chest tighten when he saw right in front of him Yugi's parents.

"Yami," Yugi began, "I'd like you to meet my parents."

Yami froze.

He was completely unsure what to do at this point.

xxx

Everyone on the outside could only sit, hope, and wait for their fallen friend to wake up. Yugi's body just lied comfortably on his grandfather's lap. His color had fully returned and was breathing fine. It didn't appear as though there was any struggle at all. Tea was looking at her childhood friend, but her mind and heart were back in the past.

Flashback

"Good morning, Yugi," greeted a young girl with short brown hair.

"Good morning, Tea," a young boy greeted back. He was sitting in his backyard alone and playing with his compact game device. The young girl took a seat by her friend and asked, "What are you playing?"

"Just a little game."

"May I try?"

"Sure."

The young boy handed over his game to his female friend. The girl was having delight into the game until she lost.

"Argh," she complained, "This is too hard!"

The boy laughed and offered her some help. It was soon time for her to go but the boy allowed his friend to borrow the game.

The Next Day

"Hello, Tea," the young boy greeted. "How was the game?"

The young girl looked very shy, embarrassed, and sad.

"What's wrong?" he asked with concerned. The girl took out the game from the bag and revealed how it had been smashed.

"What happen?" he asked surprised to find it broken. The girl explained, "I tried to get to the next level, I really did but… I… got mad and broke it."

The young boy did not say anything.

"Err… I'm really sorry," the girl apologized blushing. She was stunned to hear her friend laughing.

"What…what's so funny?" she asked both unexpected and a little annoyed. The young boy reached into his bag and took out another game for her to try.

"This one should be easier," he offered her the game and assistance.

End flashback

Tea gripped her friend's hand tight, "_Please, be safe and come back._"

xxx

Yami took a big breath. He knew deep down if he didn't bring back his friend at this moment, achieving the task would only be more of a challenge. Yami lowered his head to where his bangs covered his eyes, "Yugi… I need to speak with you privately."

Yugi turned to his parents and said, "I'll be right back."

His parents replied by nodding their heads. The two boys walked down the hill to where they could talk. Yami had his back to his friends while his bangs continued to cover his features.

"So," Yugi began, "What is it you need to talk about?"

Yami could feel his lighter half still had his usual warm smile across his face. The spirit knew he had to take action. Even though he may hurt his best friend, it was all for the better.

"Yugi, there's no easy way for me to tell you this so I'm just going to come out and say it." Yami stated. He spun around and claimed, "Yugi! This is all a dream! None of this is real!"

"W-what?" Yugi asked confused, but he still had a smile. "What are you talking about Yami? Of course this is all real!"

"No! It's not!" Yami argued back, "You're under a spell Akana had placed over you! We were separated from the Puzzle! We had a duel in the Shadow Realm, and I was able to come back in here to rescue you!"

There was an uneasy silence between the two.

"Yugi… I," Yami was unsure what to say next. He swallowed a hard lump in his throat. Yugi turned around. His bangs covered his face and he mumbled, "This… that's not true."

"What?" Yami asked, feeling tense. The young boy turned back around and yelled, "No! This is not a dream!"

Yami was taken back. The young boy continued to debate, "It just can't be! I know for sure because it's not like anything else I've seen before! There aren't any crazy animals that can talk, and I don't have the ability to fly!"

"Yugi! I know this is hard! But please, believe me!" Yami begged, "Think back to what happen before you found yourself within these parts!"

Yugi shut his eyes. His anger was building up, but he had tried to listen to what his friend was saying.

"_Why would Yami lie to me?_" Yugi attempted to reason with himself. He was thinking back to when he first had an encounter with this new area. He knew something was not right.

A memory flew in as he recalled being attacked earlier. He was scared. He was separated from his friend. He was at the mercy of a villain who had something against the Pharaoh.

Suddenly, the boy's chest started to hurt. With each beat his heart made, it became a throbbing ache within Yugi. The young boy gasped for air as he his eyes became hollow. At once, he clutched his shirt with his hand. Yami became alert.

"Yugi!" he called, "What's wrong?"

The teen felt his energy slipping away. He could only answer in a whisper, "My… chest… hurts…"

The spirit swiftly grabbed hold of Yugi by his shoulders to keep him for loosing complete balance. Yugi abruptly felt a sharp pain coming from his shoulders where his darker half was gripping. The boy screamed in agony.

"_What's going on!_" Yami was alarmed. Yugi was losing strength in his legs. The only thing keeping him from hitting the ground was his darker self.

"Yugi! What's wrong!" the older boy asked again.

Yugi gasped and managed to stutter, "Y-Yami… you're…. you're hurting me!"

xxx

Yugi's body was blissfully resting on his grandfather's lap. The calm atmosphere was soon interrupted when the boy started to lose his color once more. He soon began to wheeze, and his face turned to worry.

"Yugi!" everyone called out.

"What's wrong, bud?" Joey asked knowing full well he wouldn't receive an answer.

"Yugi!" Tea cried out once more, worried. She had seen this earlier in the day, but she still did not understand why he was acting like this.

"Maybe this is the work of Yami trying to break the spell." Tristan guessed.

"That Egyptian woman did say that this was not an easy task," Tea noted. Solomon did not say anything. He only looked down at his grandson as he struggled to breath.

"Come on, guys!" Joey encouraged, "If anyone can save Yugi, it's the Pharaoh!"

Everyone nodded and they continued to root for both their friends in their hearts.

xxx

Yami hurriedly helped Yugi kneel on the floor. The young boy continued to gasp for air. When Yami was confident enough to know Yugi would not fall over, he let go of his partner. He then looked at his hands with fear as well as disgust and confusion. Yugi's breathing slowly turned to normal.

"_What was that all about?_" Yami wondered, "_Is this part of me not being able to help Yugi?_"

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt something was coming to attack him. He quickly grasped Yugi and rolled over to prevent them both from being hit. Yami gasped as he saw a purple wizard with a green staff preparing for another attack.

"Dark Magician?" Yami yelled out in question. He then saw who was calling the attacks. The dark spirit gasped again once more when he saw it was himself.

"Let Yugi go!" the other Yami ordered. Yami stood up and placed himself right in front of Yugi.

"Who are you!" Yami demanded to know.

"I'm his yami." the other Yami replied.

"_Is this part of Yugi's dream or Akana's spell?_" Yami had to make a decision quickly. He pulled out his deck and summoned his own Dark Magician.

"_I need to think of a plan fast!_ _I need to save Yugi!_" Yami prepared himself to go through another battle. "_If I do have a match with this illusion, will this have any effect on Yugi?_"

The spirit noticed his opponent wasn't attacking. Yami did not understand, but when he turned around he saw Yugi struggling to get up.

"Yugi!" both Yamis called out.

"Yugi! You must get away from this imposter!" the other Yami ordered.

The boy began to wheezed as he tried to make sense over who was his real friend. The other Yami took the opportunity of having the real Yami distracted, so he had called an attack of the real Dark Magician.

Yami and his Dark Magician at once moved out of the way. He then had his loyal magician attack the other monster. The battle continued on as Yugi attempted to see what was happening.

He wasn't sure if one was real and the other one was fake, but there was also the possibility both of them were real. Yugi did not want to take that risk. When he had gathered enough energy, he ran into the middle of the battle field.

"This madness must stop!" he cried out. Yami and his wizard did. The other Yami yelled out, "Yugi! We must get rid of this evil spirit!"

"But he may not be!" Yugi defended, "Please! Stop!"

Yami knew he could no longer attack that other Yami.

"_What should I do?_" the formal ruler thought as he brain rattled on to find solutions. Unfortunately, the other Yami did not listen.

He continued to go through with his plan, "Yugi! I have to protect you!"

Yami was dumbfounded, "_If this is all a dream,_ _is this how he sees me? Or is this just another illusion?_"

Yami heard the other Yami holler another attack. Yami had his Dark Magician defended him as he ran to the center of the battle field to save Yugi from harm. The older boy wrapped himself around the younger boy as he embraced himself for a painful attack. A beam of dark energy was shot from both Dark Magicians' staff.

Yami could feel his friend tremble with fear and pain, but he continued to hold on. Suddenly, he felt a warm glow shielding the both of them form the center of war. Yami abided to hold Yugi close to him, but he looked up to see it was Yugi's parents who deflected the blow.

Slowly, everything had been cleared up. Both wizards were gone and no more attacks were announced. Yami looked over towards the hill and he could see dream versions of everyone. What had captured his attention most were Yugi's parents. He could feel Yugi slowly pull away from him, but Yami did not stop him. Yugi went over to where his parents were. He wanted to cry, but he found he could not.

"Dad… Mom…" the young teen was lost at words. Yugi's father placed both hands on his son's shoulder.

"Yugi," he began, "You are going to have make a very difficult decision."

Yugi listened carefully, but he had already known what subject his parents were talking about.

"Son," said Yugi's mother, "In life, you are always going to have to make painful decisions."

The young boy couldn't take it anymore. He ran to the other direction. He gabbed Yami's hand and headed out into the dark woods.

Yami knew the evil magic was about to put a painful toll on Yugi's body, so he took the lead while still holding his partner's wrist. As they both ran through the woods, Yugi found it was becoming hard for him to breath once more. His heart started to cause him great discomfort as painful memories swooped in and out of his mind.

He remembered times where he was alone in his room.

He remembered the times when he was picked on at school.

He remembered the times when he could hear people call him names.

Yugi tripped over a stone and fell to the floor. He could feel his energy slip away.

"Ya… mi..." Yugi whispered as he struggled to get up. Yami offered a helping hand, and Yugi took it.

"Come on," Yami encouraged gently, "We're almost there."

Yugi nodded boldly. When he was ready, the two took off once more. They were approaching a door that looked similar to the ones found in the Virtual World they were trapped in.

"I guess this is where we part." Yami said. Yugi vigorously shook his head, "But you said we were connected once more!"

"We are," Yami agreed as he tried to open the door, but he found out he couldn't.

"What's wrong?" Yugi asked, becoming scared.

"I believe this is your door to breaking the spell." Yami replied.

Yugi wasn't sure what to do.

"It's all right," Yami said with a warm smile. He took his hands and wrapped them around the Puzzle around Yugi's neck, "I'll be there when you wake up and so will your friends."

The teen nodded his head.

He took a deep breath and opened the door.

There was a huge flash of blinding light.

xxx

"Yugi!" everyone cried out with joy.

The young boy was able to sit up, but he was speechless. He was in the real world with his real friends, who had stood by him in so many ways. He looked at his grandpa, who took him in and cared for him as he grew up. Tears began to stream down his cherubic face.

"Yugi, what's wrong?" his grandfather asked.

"That must have been one intense battle," noted Joey out loud.

"Is the Pharaoh ok as well?" Tea asked.

Yugi only nodded but continued to sob. Everyone was quiet; there wasn't much to be said. They were all glad their friend had been able to return back to reality, but the battle the young boy had undergone had took a huge toll on him.

xxx

Everything managed to return to normal. Yugi was in school the next day and was smiling. He was able to hang out with friends and still was able to talk with his grandpa and yami without flinching. They had all gone back to their usual routine of school, trips to the Spider Arcade, hanging out at the Turtle Game Shop, and so on.

There was only one problem: Everyone knew Yugi was only acting.

They had all seen the teen who would stare out the window or into space. He wasn't really focused on anything, and his smile wasn't the same as it was before.

Everyone knew Yugi was hiding something, but no one was sure what to do about it.

**To be continued…**

Chao- Almost done!

YChao- Mhmm.

Chao- Although, does anyone else wonder why there aren't that many fics with an actual Duel?

YChao- Think about it for a moment…

Chao- …Oh….oohh….OOOHHH!

YChao- Yeaaaah.

Chao- Well, hopefully there will be OTHER stories out there. Please review!


	10. Sweet Dreams

Chao- La la la la! Waiting time. La la la…

YChao- What are you singing about?

Chao- Oh, just killing time until the readers finish this chapter!

"Talking."

"_Thinking_."

/Yami and Yugi's mind link./

**Chapter 10: Sweet Dreams**

It had been roughly one week since the incident.

One week since Yugi was captured by another mad man out for revenge.

One week since everyone stayed by Yugi's side while he was trapped within an illusion.

One week since Yugi had to make a painful decision…

It was still dark on a Sunday morning, but a young teen with tri-color hair was fully awake. Without even making a sound, he swiftly stepped out of bed and changed his clothes. He had to be sure even the spirit within his Puzzle would not be disturbed. He calmed himself down so no distressful thoughts would come to his mind.

He briskly went downstairs and was constantly on the look out to see if his grandpa was awake. There was no one there. The teen quietly open his door, went outside, and soundlessly closed the entrance. When he was confident enough no one around and he was far away from the Puzzle, Yugi took of running.

The moon was out, and the stars still shone. Hardly any cars passed by on the road, and no one else was in sight. Down the path Yugi continued to run despite the cold weather. He began to breath rapidly as his legs pound against the ground and his arms swung back and forth. He had only stopped for few minutes to rest and catch his breath, but Yugi knew he had to keep moving.

He had to keep sprinting before anyone found out he was missing. Once recharged, Yugi took off once more. The street lights turned off as the sun finally started to rise. The sky turned from raven to sapphire as the bright radiant broke through the horizon, showing off its gold rays. The scene was absolutely gorgeous. Normally, the teen would appreciate looking at such a magnificent view available every morning, but not this time.

Yugi continued to run to arrive at his destination.

xxx

The spirit of the Puzzle was deep within his Soul Room. He decided to give his partner more privacy over the last few days. Yami would show up in the room to let Yugi know he was still there, and Yugi had been able to talk with him, but the former pharaoh couldn't help but feel something was wrong.

He knew Yugi wasn't himself, but Yami believed he shouldn't force anything out of his partner. He had wanted to respect his light, but at the same time Yami knew he had to be a little distant. For some reason, he felt unwanted.

**Yami's P.O.V.**

"_Yugi! I have to protect you!_"

Those words continued to enter my mind. They have been haunting me for the past few days. I have not been able to tell if that was part of the spell or it was what Yugi thought of me.

I always thought I was shielding him from harm, but have I been just a little too overprotective?

I thought I was allowing my friend to fully express himself, but was I just interrupting?

He always seems to be in danger. He was just a normal child until he solved the Puzzle. Everyone comes and tries to get their hands on it. He's been to and from the Shadow Realm plenty of times. His friends have always been there to support. I have helped him out of various situations but…

Do I treat him like he can't do anything on his own?

I leaned against then slid down my cold stone wall. I sighed and continued with my thoughts. I never heard him talk back to me. He's been able to stand up for himself, but was that from his own courage or was it only through the support from his friends?

I always thought our relationship was stable, and we do talk about what's on our minds: New enemies, possible friends, school days, learning new strategies… But… I guess the only subject we have never touched upon was family.

I had only known Yugi and his grandpa. The idea of Yugi missing his parents never occurred to me before. He always seemed so happy to hang around with his good friends and come home to a loving guardian. Is it my fault the conversation never came up? He knows I don't remember my past so I can't relate to him and some of his problems.

But… I have always tried to understand him… I would listen to him and he would do the same to me… We both would give each other advice, and even if there wasn't much to say, we were at least there for one another… Maybe I should just listen to what he has to say.

I stood up in my room with confidence. I nodded my head and agreed I should at least hear him. After all, Yugi was planning to talk with me right before we were attacked.

I concentrated on forming my spirit from out of the Puzzle and into Yugi's room. When I reappeared in his room, I had my back to him. I figured by now he would be at least awake. I wasn't sure how he will respond to me, but we're together and I will try and help him in anyway I can.

"Yugi," I calmly called. I tried to summon the words I had wanted to say, but then I felt something was wrong.

I felt as though I couldn't feel Yugi's presence in his room!

I turned around and I was in shock.

Yugi wasn't in his bed!

I quickly used my magic to try and feel for him and see if he was anywhere in the house. To my dismay, I found nothing. The only other presence I could feel besides my own was Yugi's grandpa.

"If Yugi's not here, then where is he?" I asked myself, trying to scramble together possible answers. Of course, since Yugi didn't have the Puzzle over his neck, there was nothing I could do. I felt completely powerless. Just then, I heard a knock on Yugi's door.

"Yugi? Are you awake?" It was Yugi's grandpa.

I saw the handle turned and the door opened. The elderly man walk into the room and saw his grandson was not in bed. What concerned me was he was not at all surprised. I heard him sighed, and he looked over to my direction.

He was not able to see me, but I knew he was looking at the Puzzle that glistened on Yugi's desk. He walked over and grabbed the Puzzle. I returned back into the necklace as he went downstairs. He was about to leave when we both saw Joey, Tea, and Tristan standing at the door with worried looks on their face.

It was obvious to all Yugi's behavior was all an act.

Even I had noticed this, but what could I had done at the time?

Was a little distant from Yugi truly the correct choice?

My powers began to fade. I couldn't clearly hear what they were speaking about. It seemed, however, everyone was walking to the car and heading somewhere. Before we took off, I saw the elderly man hand Tea the Puzzle. I could see all the men's faces had a look of determination to find Yugi, but Tea still held a worried expression on her face.

We all had our own thoughts to occupied our mind. I slowly started to wonder if we all may be a little too concern for Yugi.

Is it possible he just wants privacy?

Are we depriving him of that?

Do we all continue to treat him like a child?

A child who cannot do anything on his own?

What was haunting me yet again was what I heard in Yugi's dream: "_Yugi! I have to protect you!_"

I know that was said by the dream, I know that I was able to talk my way out into reason, so why does it continue to haunt me?

**End Yami's P.O.V.**

xxx

Yugi rested against a brick wall. He inhaled in and out hard as he tried to reenergize his body. He saw morning had broken, and it was only a matter of time before he was found. The teen knew the only person who would find him right away was his grandpa.

"_I'm sorry_, _everyone._" Yugi thought then took off once more.

He continued to keep running past several more buildings until he finally reached his destination. Yugi was breathing rapidly to catch his breath as he looked over at the iron gates that had recently opened. After a moment's rest, the boy dashed in. It did not take him long to find what, rather, who he was looking for.

He stood in front of two head stones. He greeted with a sad smile and watery eyes, "Good morning Mom. Dad."

He then fell to knees to rest and allowed tears to fall down his face.

For a moment, Yugi was not suffering from physical ache nor the sadness and loneliness he had been feeling before.

xxx

The car pulled over into a parking lot.

"What are we doing here?" Tristan asked.

"I need to pick up something very important," explain the old man as he got out of the car.

Tea open the door and followed Solomon. She noticed that the place they had stopped in front of was a floral shop. After a few moments, the two came out with a few flowers.

"You have always been a good friend to Yugi," the elderly man observed. The teen girl only smiled back.

Inside the Puzzle, Yami had to agree.

The group went on to their destination.

**Yami's P.O.V**.

We came to a stop, and now we were off once more. Tea honestly had always been a friend who stood out. She was the heart of the group. Joey had strong courage, Tristan had a strong spirit, and Yugi was everyone's light, including my own. What I had to offer all of them? Nothing but darkness. All of their lives have been endangered because of me and this Puzzle.

But… even after all the pain they've gone through, why do they continue to hang out with one another?

For the thrill?

To get attention?

Because they have nothing else to do?

I thought back to the times where they all stood together. They had faced evil without even flinching. They stood up for their beliefs against people, even those without magic. I even received first hand the consequence of committing something wrong to Yugi. That punch from Joey certainly was not enjoyable. Any opponent who messes with any of them will not enjoy it either. Even Yugi kept the Puzzle after all this time.

I remembered back to when we barely knew each other. I misunderstood his kindness for weakness. I had acted in ways I regret now, and yet he was still open to me. But he managed to trust me and not throw me away.

Have I been over protective because I don't want him to lose his innocence?

Do I not want him to be corrupted like everyone else in this world?

I sighed and thought maybe I am was nothing but a hypocrite. Perhaps my main problem was I don't trust him. He trusts me so many times and yet I haven't done the same. I had even betrayed his trust. Will he forgive me? I know he has. Since he had done so, I guess I must forgive myself so I won't be so blind next time. His friends are truly amazing.

Together, they make such a powerful force that cannot be broken.

I laughed as I thought about friendship and how mysterious it is.

**End Yami's P.O.V**.

After driving for several more blocks, the car finally came to a stop. The group stepped out and were a bit surprise to see where they had arrived. They looked over at the open iron gates. Even though they were not inside, they could see headstones, statues, and plenty of flowers.

"Yugi," the group of friends whispered in unison.

"This is where is he?" Tristan asked to break the silence of finally arriving to the place where the vertically challenged friend had run off to early in the morning.

"Yes," Solomon responded.

"That must have been some walk," Joey stated as he looked back to see how far they had traveled by car, "He must be tired."

"Should we give him a little privacy?" Tea asked, not wanting to disturb Yugi.

"It might take time to get where Yugi is," Joey suggested.

"Wait, we're at a cemetery. You aren't even the least afraid, Joey?" Tristan asked, not wanting to make a joke.

"Of course I don't want to go in!" Joey yelled, "I'm not at all fond of seeing people under the ground, but we gotta go in; for Yugi."

Everyone was touched the blonde put himself aside to help someone out.

"Let's get going," Solomon said, "I'll lead the way."

The group nodded their heads and followed the man to their next destination.

xxx

Over the past hour or so, Yugi had forgotten all of his worries. He was in bliss of being able to be around the area where his parents were. They were there for him and comfort him when he was young and felt lonely, as what any parent would do.

"_Is it so wrong that I miss them?_" Yugi thought to himself as he could feel tears come up once more but chose to fight them, "_I know my friends are worried about me… And I know I have worried Grandpa… I should have at least told them what was going on but… But why couldn't I? Grandpa didn't say much so did he knew what I was going through? _

"_I… I didn't tell any of my friends about this… I don't know why… They have all told me so many things about them… We've been through so much together… Plus, they did accept me after all the trouble that we've been through… and Yami…" _

Yugi gasped as he thought about his darker half, "_I must have made Yami worry the most. He does live within the Puzzle, and I do carry around with me where ever I go_."

The boy reached down but saw he did not take the Puzzle with him.

"_I'm sorry Yami… Why? Why didn't I tell anyone! What's wrong with me! Normally, I help out everyone else so why didn't I accept the help? I did the same thing after I first completed the Puzzle. I didn't tell anyone about Yami and… I am his light and yet here I am keeping secrets from everyone like I've always done_."

Yugi's thoughts were interrupted when he felt the presence of his Puzzle near. He looked over and saw his friend's and grandpa were there. The teen was speechless; he was unsure what to say a moment like this. His closet companions had been able to find him. The boy saw all his buddies had smiles on their face. Yugi could feel his heart skip a beat.

He could not fight the tears any longer. He allowed them to fall as he looked away and whispered, "I'm sorry, everyone."

Tea stepped forward and said, "It's ok, Yugi; everything is gonna be all ri-" She was interrupted as Yugi yelled, "No! It's not all right! Everything is not ok!"

Everyone was stunned to see their friend react this way. Yugi began to cry not only out of sorrow but also anger, "I know you all knew I was not myself, and yet no one did anything! Why!"

No one could give an answer. Deep down everyone wanted to help their friend, but they were unsure what to do.

As there was a moment of silence, Yugi continued as he answered his own question, "I'm suppose to be the light in the darkness… I'm the one who kept hope while everyone else was down… So does… does this mean I'm not allowed to feel anything other than happiness?"

The young boy sobbed. Everyone was taken back about what was just stated. They all pondered if they honestly had neglected the idea Yugi being human. Again, no one had an answer to the complicated question proposed to them. Tea knelt down and hugged her childhood friend. No one said a word so they could allow their friend to just cry.

When the time was right, Tea gently reminded, "You don't have to go through this alone."

Yugi pulled away from his friend and looked into her eyes. They were filled with sorrow and sympathy, but also had a shine to them that made Yugi feel relaxed, understood, and not so alone. He had felt the same way as he did whenever he looked into them, especially when the two were children.

"That's right," Tristan agreed as he knelt down.

"You've been there with us so many times," Joey said as he, too, knelt down, "Don't make us feel like we never do the same for you."

Deep within Yugi's heart, he felt touched to know his friends were by his side. Tears came down his face once more, but these were formed from happiness and gratitude. They had all wanted to share the same pain Yugi was feeling; a true example of friendship.

"I believe this is yours," the elderly man said interrupting the silence. Yugi opened his eyes and saw his grandfather was holding the Puzzle.

The boy stood up and hugged his guardian; he was grateful his relative had taken him in and took care of him in his time of need. Yugi accepted his treasure back. He looked at the gold, upside down pyramid as the metal reflected within the light. Throughout his moments of loneliness, putting the pieces together brought him comfort, as the way he does now for the spirit that resides within.

/It's all right if you want to cry, partner,/ Yami said through their link as the two were reconnected, /You've been there for me so many times./

Yugi smiled and replied, /You have also been there for me. Even now, you give me courage to keep moving forward even when times are tough./

The spirit smiled. Yugi then said, /We make a great team, Yami./

The group of friends were established once more.

"Are we all ready to go?" Tristan asked as everyone was ready to embrace what the day had to offer.

"Wait," Yugi said as he walked towards tombstones. He wanted his friends to come closer. Yugi smiled and said, "I want you all to meet my parents."

The group bowed and were pleased to meet the people responsible for Yugi's creation.

"Dad, Mom," Yugi began, "I'd like you all to meet my friends."

Tea walked over and placed together on the graves the set of flowers they had bought earlier. Everyone admired the scenery of the flowers complimenting the souls that had raised a powerful friend. The group then looked over and saw a lovely view of the sky and landscape.

Yami was looking at the same view with pleasure in his transparent state. He then felt as though they were all being watched. The spirit turned and saw the same people he had seen not only in a photograph, but also in Yugi's dream.

Yami gasped, "You're both-" He was cut off as the man said, "Yup, we're Yugi's parents."

Yami looked back over and observed no one else was looking back. He was unsure why he could see them but no one else did.

"They can't see us because we are only spirits," the woman explained, "I guess you must be a spirit as well."

Yami nodded, "My name is Yami and yes, I am the spirit of the Puzzle your son wears."

"I guess that's what Solomon did with the gold box," the woman said as she looked at her husband.

"And look what happen to our son," the man observed with a grin, "He certainly has grown more than just physically!"

Yami nodded again, "Yugi is one of the bravest souls I have seen."

"That's good to hear," the woman sighed with content, "I'm so happy he was able to break free from the spell."

Yami's eyes widen as he was stunned over what he heard, "You… you knew about the spell cast over him?"

"Of course," the man laughed with a big grin, "We're his parents after all!"

Yami was speechless. The woman continued to smile as she explained, "We will always watch over him. When things got a little tricky, we were able to enter within our son to help him out."

Yami thought back to the time where they two people within Yugi's dream were talking with him.

"Reality can be harsh but it's important to get back up," the woman said.

"And thank you for being there for him," the man grinned.

The two parents of Yugi Muto then vanished from the sight.

Yami smiled. He looked back over at Yugi, who was smiling a genuine smile along with everyone else. They were preparing ready to leave so they all said goodbye for now and agreed to visit again soon.

Yami looked over at the boy he was chosen to be with. He was glad to be able to be with someone who was forgiving, courageous, and friendly.

Yami closed his eyes and thought, "_Yugi, I hope the next time we duel we can both be honest and have a great match_."

Everyone walked off and went to enjoy their day together.

**The End**

Chao- It's finally over!

YChao- Yeah, and it only took about 3 years or so.

Chao- Eep…

YChao- That's what'cha get for writing a story with no actual idea where to go.

Chao- Probably, and for also having a life.

YChao- Shh! Do you wanna scare the readers and not have them write their fan fics that you like to read?

Chao- Ha ha… Please review!


End file.
